ISSUE 36 · SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2026 · LIFE BY DESIGN, NOT DEFAULT
THE HERALD ✦ DEER PARK This Week |
Photo: Alexander Hatley / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
The Nov. 3 votes are out — in draft. Last week we told you the city hadn’t posted what council decided on Nov. 3. The minutes are now attached to Tuesday’s agenda for approval, and they show every vote passed 6–0, with Councilman Justin League absent: the 4811 Red Bluff Road rezoning, new commercial trash fees, and two Dec. 1 public hearings, one on data centers and one on tax abatements.
This week: what council decided and what it takes up Tuesday, including a traffic-signal contract that went to the third-lowest bidder; where the city’s general fund went last year; a family tree crew on Center Street; a Cuban sandwich shop that opens at 5 a.m.; and a black cat named Zelda.
THE HERALD ✦ DEER PARK Liberty Watch |
Photo: Jim Evans / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
6–0 every Nov. 3 vote (draft minutes) | $737,678 signal contract up Tuesday | $549,999 Minchen Field playgrounds | Dec 1 two public hearings |
What council decided Nov. 3. The draft minutes, attached to the Nov. 17 agenda for approval, show no one spoke against the Red Bluff rezoning at the joint hearing. Applicant Ryan Taylor told council the 8.778-acre lot would be reached from Red Bluff Road only and addressed drainage, setbacks and screening. Council then voted 6–0 to adopt Ordinance No. 4744, moving the land from Highway Service to Industrial Park (M1). Also 6–0: new commercial trash fees, effective Dec. 1 (a 2-cubic-yard dumpster picked up once a week will be $90.50 a month); hearings on Dec. 1 at 7:30 p.m. on the tax abatement rules and on a proposal to allow data centers only in Industrial Park (M1) zones, with a specific use permit; a “13th check” for retired first responders in the state emergency services retirement system; a GIS software agreement; a garbage truck; and budget carry-overs for the library air conditioning and a sewer study. The minutes record no comments from the audience.
Tuesday, Nov. 17: the lowest bid isn’t the pick. Six companies bid Oct. 28 to rebuild the signals at Center and Fourth and Center and Eighth. The lowest, TSC, came in at $703,117.59. Staff recommends the third-lowest, Statewide Traffic Signal Company, at $737,677.67 — $34,560.08 more. The city’s criteria sheet weighed price at 60 points and references and qualifications at 20 each; Statewide scored 98 of a possible 100, TSC 96. Also on Tuesday’s agenda: $549,999.17 for two playgrounds, a covered pavilion and ADA sidewalk access at Minchen Field Five; $82,816.82 for synthetic turf at the Dow Park Pool; $105,400 for signal detection cameras at five intersections; an outdoor fitness court that pairs a $60,000 national grant with $285,000 in local money; a Harris County agreement for the College Park drainage ditch; and lights for the Pasadena Boulevard water tower.
Still not posted: anything the Nov. 2 Planning & Zoning Commission or Board of Adjustment decided. The city’s meeting system shows no minutes for either.
| Your move: if you drive Center Street, Tuesday is your chance to ask council why the signal job should go to the higher bid. Sign up in the chambers at least five minutes before 7:30; three minutes each. |
Sources: Draft minutes, Nov 3 · Council agenda, Nov 17 · Bid summary · Criteria evaluation · Fitness court resolution · Commercial trash fee ordinance · Legistar meeting calendar
✦ Rooms This Week |
| Deer Park City Council Tuesday, 7:30 PM · Council Chambers, 710 E. San Augustine, Deer Park, TX 77536 · Open to the public | ||
| Rotary Club of Deer Park (Deer Park Rotary) Wednesday, 12:00 PM · Republic Grill at Battleground Golf Course, 1600 Georgia Avenue, Deer Park, TX 77536-6711 · Guests by invitation How to get in: the room’s site |
Who sits in these rooms and the public money that goes in: the record.
THE HERALD ✦ DEER PARK Mapping Our Community: Where the General Fund Went |
Source: City of Deer Park Q4 FY2025-26 financial report, Nov. 17, 2026 council workshop agenda.
The city’s year-end financial report, up for acceptance on Tuesday’s consent agenda, puts general fund spending for the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30 at $58,125,747. A third of it, $19,272,504, went to public safety. Administration and community development took about a fifth each, public works about 18%, and operating transfers the rest.
105% of budgeted revenue collected | $45.78M property taxes collected | $55.2M estimated reserves | 347 days of spending in reserve |
On the money coming in, the city collected 105% of the general fund revenue it budgeted, and $45.78 million in property taxes, residential plus industrial agreements. Estimated reserves are $55,187,286, which the report counts as 347 days of spending. Total principal debt outstanding was $139,225,000 as of Oct. 1, 2025.
One question worth asking: one page of the report says sales tax, investment income and ambulance fees together beat their budget by $2.3 million; another says sales tax alone beat its budget by $3.08 million. Both can’t be the whole story — a fair thing to ask finance staff at Tuesday’s 6:45 workshop.
| GO DEEPER The Deer Park record: budgets, tax rates, votes and who governs, every figure sourced — councilonlocalrelations.org/tx/deer-park/ Start here — the Primers: 01 The Long Flat Line (how the family changed) · 02 The Documents We Live Under (the written rules that limit power) · 03 The Household (what a household buys, priced in years of work) · all primers → From the Council: Sourced pieces from the Council’s seats, every figure linked to its source. Get them by email → |
| KNOW YOUR TOWN THIS WEEK One question about Deer Park every day, and every answer links to the public record it comes from. Play today’s question → |
Sources: Q4 FY2025-26 financial report · Workshop agenda, Nov 17
THE HERALD ✦ DEER PARK Around the Block |
Flyer: Deer Park Public Library
| Kids Craft: Springy Squirrel — 4–5 p.m., Deer Park Public Library, 3009 Center St. Ages 5–11; free. Take-and-make kits at the circulation desk. | ||
| Adult Craft: Homemade Soy Candles — 2–3:30 p.m., Deer Park Public Library. Free. | ||
| Bingo Night Fever — 6–8 p.m., Maxwell Adult Center, 1201 Center St. A meal from local restaurants at 6:15, ten games of bingo at 7 for gift-card prizes. $16 residents / $20 non-residents. | ||
| Toddler and Preschool Storytime — 10:15 a.m. (toddlers) and 11 a.m. (preschool), Deer Park Public Library. | ||
| Tree Lighting Spectacular — 5:30–9 p.m., from Patrick’s Cabin, 1302 Center St., to the Jimmy Burke Activity Center. The tree is lit at 6; cabin tours, cider at the campfire, Santa’s Workshop crafts, a live nativity and carolers. Free admission; bring cash for concessions and vendors. | ||
| Featured Friday: Butler Longhorn Museum — 11 a.m.–noon, Deer Park Public Library. Anita Butler on the history of the Butler Texas Longhorn. Free. | ||
| Rec For All: Turkey Trouble — 6:30–7 p.m., Maxwell Adult Center. A hands-on mystery to track down a runaway turkey. $4. |
Your move: Thanksgiving Camp (Nov. 23–25, $85 residents) and the Mini Gourmet pie classes ($25 for up to four) take registration — sign up this week. City offices close Nov. 26–27. Run a Deer Park event? Send it by Thursday.
Sources: Springy Squirrel · Soy Candles · Bingo Night Fever · Toddler Storytime · Preschool Storytime · Tree Lighting · Tree Lighting (city newsletter) · Featured Friday · Turkey Trouble · Thanksgiving Camp · Mini Gourmet · City holiday closure
THE HERALD ✦ DEER PARK Prosperity Spotlight |
Gabby’s Tree Service
Sunday’s forecast calls for storms and gusts as high as 35 mph, so meet the crew Deer Park calls when a limb comes down. Gabby’s Tree Service is family-owned, works out of Center Street and has served Deer Park and the Bay Area since 2002, its site says — tree removal, trimming, stump grinding and storm cleanup, with 24-hour emergency response.
Two details stand out. The company says its crews are in-house, never subcontractors, and it brings a mobile wood chipper to every job so no limbs are left in the yard. The city’s April business newsletter adds that it is licensed and insured, and the company’s site lists a senior discount with priority scheduling.
Its site posts no office hours, only the 24/7 emergency line — call for an estimate.
| Gabby’s Tree Service · 1915 Center St., Deer Park · (832) 731-6338 24-hour emergency response; office hours aren’t posted — call for an estimate · gabbystreeservice.net |
Sources: Gabby’s Tree Service · City economic development newsletter, April 2026
THE HERALD ✦ DEER PARK Food Scene |
Photo: Cuban Cafe Deer Park
Cuban Cafe Deer Park
Cuban Cafe Deer Park on Center Street calls itself a sandwich shop: fresh coffee, empanadas and sandwiches pressed on authentic Floridian Cuban bread. It’s the second shop for its owners — the Deer Park cafe opened in 2018, and the original is on Decker Drive in Baytown.
This is an early-morning place. The doors open at 5 a.m. on weekdays and 6 on Saturdays, and close at 2 p.m., so it is built for the commute and the lunch break, not a late dinner. Its own site’s suggestion for a first visit: the café con leche.
What’s your order there? Reply and tell us.
| Cuban Cafe Deer Park · 1625 Center St., Deer Park · (832) 429-3273 Mon–Fri 5 a.m.–2 p.m. · Sat 6 a.m.–2 p.m. · Closed Sunday (per its website) · cubancafedeerpark.com |
Sources: Cuban Cafe Deer Park
✦ Trivia Question |
Before the refineries, the land north of Highway 225 grew strawberries. After the 1900 hurricane, who bought 1.5 million strawberry plants to help Gulf Coast farmers recover? (Answer at the bottom.)
✦ Quote of the Day |
“Americans of all ages, all conditions, and all dispositions, constantly form associations.” — Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America, Volume 2 (Project Gutenberg)
✦ Secret Little Hack |
Want to know what council decided before the minutes are approved? Open the next meeting’s agenda. Deer Park attaches the last meeting’s draft minutes to it as item 2, usually the Tuesday before — that’s how this week’s Nov. 3 results reached you. Every agenda is on the city’s meeting calendar; click the meeting, then the minutes item.
THE HERALD ✦ DEER PARK Real Estate Pulse |
Source: Redfin, Deer Park housing market page, read Nov. 13, 2026.
$300,291 October median sale | 84 homes sold (91 a year ago) | 37 days median days on market | 54 / 100 Compete Score (was 60) |
Redfin’s October numbers are in. The median Deer Park sale was $300,291, up 7.2% from a year ago, on 84 sales, down from 91. The median home sold after 37 days on the market, against 53 a year earlier. But the market cooled a notch: the Compete Score fell to 54 from last week’s 60, still “somewhat competitive,” and Redfin now says the typical home sells about 1% below list and goes pending in around 45 days. Nearly half of homes (49.7%) had a price drop. Pearland scores 61, Houston 45. Your move: if you’re buying, the price-drop share says there’s room to negotiate — ask what a listing has already come down.
Sources: Redfin — Deer Park housing market
Photo: HAR.com listing
For rent, listed by Nina Bright. 4713 E Meadow Dr, Deer Park 77536: $2,550 a month. Four bedrooms, two baths, 1,928 square feet on one story, built in 2010. Two-car attached garage, covered patio, wood floors, granite counters, a fireplace and fresh paint. Available now; pets case by case ($500 deposit per pet). See the listing on HAR.
| Looking to buy or sell? Nina Bright, Realtor — call or text 832-689-3170. Full disclosure: Nina is David’s wife. |
THE HERALD ✦ DEER PARK Service Opportunities |
Photo: City of Deer Park
Help light the tree. The city’s October business newsletter put out a call for vendors, booth activities, volunteers and attractions for Thursday’s Tree Lighting Spectacular. With the event days away, call the number listed there, (281) 352-1038, to ask what help is still needed (October newsletter; event page). Still recruiting: the all-volunteer Deer Park Volunteer Fire Department takes applications any day (apply).
THE HERALD ✦ DEER PARK Adopt a Friend |
 | Meet Zelda 1 year · Female · Bombay Zelda is a black Bombay with amber eyes, a little over a year old, with Mission for Paws, a cat rescue in Pasadena. Her listing says she is good with cats, litter-box trained and spayed. The rescue asks a $125 adoption fee and approves every application before adoption. See Zelda’s listing → |
| Mission for Paws · PetSmart, 5722 Fairmont Parkway, Pasadena · apply online Adoption events Saturdays 11 a.m.–3 p.m.; other days by appointment with an approved application (as posted on the listing) |
Zelda is with a rescue next door in Pasadena. The Deer Park shelter’s own Adoptapet page again listed no adoptable pets when we checked Nov. 13; call 281-478-7274 to ask what’s there this week.
THE HERALD ✦ DEER PARK Growth & Learning |
Illustration
A kitchen-table question from Tuesday’s agenda: if you were hiring someone to fix the stoplight at your corner, would you always take the cheapest bid? The city scored six bidders on price (60 points), references (20) and qualifications (20). The pick costs $34,560.08 more than the lowest bid — about 4.9% more. Ask your kids: what would make that worth it? Then show them the one-page score sheet and let them grade the grader.
THE HERALD ✦ DEER PARK Local Theory & Council Radio |
 | Now playing: Beef — Local Theory (April 2, 2026 · 11 tracks). Listen. Council Radio plays Local Theory around the clock, with talk at the top of every hour. Listen at thinkandactlocally.com/radio · talk channel: thinkandactlocally.com/talk · the CLR podcast: thinkandactlocally.com/council-podcast. In the Studio now: Babel. Vote on the mixes. |
THE HERALD ✦ DEER PARK Weather Forecast |
Sun  67° 53° | Mon  58° 52° | Tue  66° 57° | Wed  72° 65° | Thu  74° 65° | Fri  74° 67° |
A wet Sunday: showers and thunderstorms, a 90% chance of rain and an east wind gusting as high as 35 mph, with a high near 67 and 1 to 2 inches of rain possible. Rain showers are likely Sunday night (90%), with a low around 53. Monday stays mostly cloudy and cool, near 58, with a 40% chance of showers. Tuesday turns sunny, and the week warms to 72 on Wednesday and 74 on Thursday, the evening of the tree lighting, with a 20% chance of showers after noon.
✦ CrowdHealth |
 | David and his family left traditional health insurance for CrowdHealth — a community that funds each other’s medical bills. Bills get negotiated down first. See how it works. We earn a referral if you join. CrowdHealth is not insurance. David is a paying member. |
✦ Unrivaled Travels |
 | Planning a trip worth taking? Our own travel service books the expedition, cruise, or getaway you’ll remember. info@unrivaledtravels.com · 281-241-1994 · unrivaledtravels.com One of our own businesses. |
✦ Unrivaled Candles |
 | Hand-poured jewelry candles — every one hides a piece of jewelry inside, valued from $10 to $10,000. Burn it down and find out what’s yours. Shop Unrivaled Candles. One of our own businesses. |
✦ Unrivaled Marketing Solutions |
 | You built the business — now make sure your Deer Park neighbors can find it. Book a free 15-minute call with David: we’ll look at how your business shows up online and where customers may be slipping past. If you want us to fix it, that’s paid work, and David will go over the price on the call. Book a free 15-minute call. One of our own businesses. |
✦ Sponsor Spot |
This spot is open. Sponsor this spot — reach Deer Park neighbors every Sunday, in the one inbox they actually read. Reply to book it.
✦ They Told Him He Was Crazy |
David sold his metals. Not trimmed — sold. He kept the receipts, every decision sourced, so you can decide for yourself: conviction, or crazy? Read the filing →
David’s own site.
THE HERALD ✦ DEER PARK Community Voices |
The tree lighting is Thursday. What’s the holiday tradition your family won’t skip in Deer Park — a place, a meal, a street of lights? Hit reply — one or two sentences — and we’ll run the best next Sunday.
✦ Take Action |
- Tuesday, Nov 17, 6:45 p.m. — council workshop (year-end finances, the Minchen playgrounds, the water tower lights), then the regular meeting at 7:30, 710 E. San Augustine. To speak, sign up in the chambers at least five minutes before the start; three minutes each.
- Thursday, Nov 19, 5:30–9 p.m. — the Tree Lighting Spectacular at Patrick’s Cabin, 1302 Center St.; the tree is lit at 6. Admission is free (details).
- Friday, Nov 20, 11 a.m. — Featured Friday at the library: the history of the Butler Texas Longhorn. Free.
- Before Thanksgiving week — sign up for Thanksgiving Camp (Nov 23–25) or a Mini Gourmet pie class at the Dow Active Complex (camp, pies).
- Tuesday, Dec 1, 7:30 p.m. — two public hearings: the city’s tax abatement rules and a zoning change for data centers. Mark it now.
✦ Submit Your Content |
Events, business features, volunteer calls, letters from Deer Park: david@thinkandactlocally.com. Deadline: Thursday 5 PM for Sunday.
✦ Answer to Trivia |
Clara Barton. After the 1900 hurricane, Barton and the American Red Cross bought 1.5 million strawberry plants for Gulf Coast farmers; the crops thrived, and by the 1930s Pasadena was known as the “Strawberry Capital” (city economic development newsletter, October 2026).
THE HERALD ✦ DEER PARK Keep the Herald Free |
No advertiser sets our coverage — readers keep it alive. The best thing you can do costs nothing: forward this to one neighbor who drives Center Street every day and would want to know what happens at Fourth and Eighth.
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The Herald is published by Think and Act Locally. Its facts come from the public record kept by the Council on Local Relations, which shares a founder with Think and Act Locally. Portions drafted with AI assistance and reviewed before publication. Reply anytime: david@thinkandactlocally.com.
