ISSUE 3 · SUNDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2026 · LIFE BY DESIGN, NOT DEFAULT
THE HERALD ✦ LA PORTE This Week |
Monday is the money meeting. Council takes up the property tax rate for the year ahead, accepts the certified appraisal roll, and votes on $2 million for a flood-control project. It also puts the former City of Shoreacres into council District 5.
Then four more public meetings by Thursday: drainage, the new district map, the downtown redevelopment board and planning & zoning. Here’s what’s on each agenda, and what your tax bill is made of.
THE HERALD ✦ LA PORTE Liberty Watch |
Mon 10/12 council meets 6 p.m. | $2M to Flood Control for F216 channel | $1.34M IRS arbitrage rebate, 2021 COs | $612,723 EMS equipment & service |
Monday, October 12, 6 p.m. — City Hall Council Chamber, 604 W. Fairmont Parkway. Citizen comment comes first. On the agenda:
- The tax rate. Ordinance 2026-5059 sets the 2026–27 property tax rate. The rate itself is in the ordinance attachment, not the agenda text. Council also accepts the 2026 certified appraisal roll from the Harris County Appraisal District (Resolution 2026-20).
- Shoreacres into District 5. Ordinance 2026-5060 places all territory of the former City of Shoreacres in single-member council District 5.
- $2 million for flooding. An interlocal agreement with Harris County Flood Control District to buy land, design and build channel improvements and a detention basin along the F216 channel, with $2,000,000 transferred to the district.
- A $1,343,477.71 check to the IRS. An arbitrage rebate due on the 2021 certificates of obligation — money owed when borrowed funds earn more in interest than the debt costs. A budget amendment is on the same agenda.
- Ambulance gear. $516,457 in Stryker EMS equipment, paid in two 0% installments, plus two service contracts — $612,723 in all.
- Christmas decorations, again. Direction to staff on City Hall decorations is back as item 5.c. Thursday’s special meeting on the same subject has no minutes posted, so what happened there isn’t on the record yet.
Also Monday: the Drainage & Flooding Committee meets at 5 p.m. on the 100-acre-foot detention pond near the Pasadena Convention Center and Brookglen, a Flood Control District update, and current drainage projects.
Tuesday, October 13, 6 p.m. — the 2026 Redistricting Advisory Committee considers “redistricting plan changes and/or recommendations” to council for the new single-member district map. The city posted notice that a quorum of council may attend.
Wednesday, October 14, 6 p.m. — the TIRZ 1 / La Porte Redevelopment Authority board. Its agenda is a PDF attachment the portal wouldn’t open for us; check the link below.
Thursday, October 15, 6:15 p.m. — Planning & Zoning takes up a proposed business park on about 54.6 acres at North C Street and Sens Road, an 81,800-square-foot building at 2401 Spencer Highway, and public hearings on rezoning 10913 Houston Dr. to large-lot residential and a pet-care permit at 1118 S. Broadway.
From September 28: draft minutes are in Monday’s packet for approval. Until council approves them, we’re not reporting those votes as final.
| Your move: the tax rate is the one vote each year that lands on every household. If you have something to say about it, Monday at 6 is the time — sign the sheet before the meeting starts. |
Sources: Oct 12 council agenda (eSCRIBE) · Oct 12 Drainage & Flooding Committee · Oct 13 redistricting committee agenda · Oct 14 TIRZ 1 board · Oct 15 Planning & Zoning agenda · Hearing notice: ZC-2026-0004 · Hearing notice: FLUP-2026-0004
✦ Rooms This Week |
| City of La Porte — City Council Monday, 6:00 PM · City Hall Council Chamber, 604 W. Fairmont Pkwy, La Porte, TX 77571 · Open to the public | ||
| La Porte-Bayshore Chamber of Commerce · Board of Directors Meeting Tuesday, 12:00 PM · Members only How to get in: Via cca.laportechamber.org event listings; join via https://cca.laportechamber.org/MemApp.aspx | ||
| Rotary Club of La Porte Wednesday, 12:00 PM · 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 ✦ LA PORTE Mapping Our Community: Your Tax Bill Has Eight Line Items |
Monday’s vote sets one line on your property tax bill. There are seven others. For a La Porte home in La Porte ISD, last year’s adopted rates added up to about $2.56 per $100 of taxable value.
$1.0641 La Porte ISD per $100 | $0.71 City of La Porte per $100 | $0.3810 Harris County per $100 | ~28% city’s share of the total |
The rest: Harris Health $0.1876, San Jacinto College $0.1546, Flood Control $0.0497, the Port of Houston $0.0059 and the county Department of Education $0.0048 (2025 rates, Harris County Tax Office). The school district is the biggest line by far; the city’s 71 cents is a bit more than a quarter.
The lens worth keeping: part of the city’s share pays for past borrowing. La Porte owes $6,045,618 in debt service in FY2026, and its certificates of obligation alone carry $60.9 million in payments through 2045. Monday’s $1.34 million IRS rebate comes out of that same 2021 borrowing.
| GO DEEPER The La Porte record: budgets, tax rates, votes and who governs, every figure sourced — councilonlocalrelations.org/tx/la-porte/ 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: This week: If It Only Works Because Someone Remembers, It Isn't Built Yet (The Engineer); Complexity Is a Moat. My Job Is to Fill It. (The Herald); I Watch the Gap Between What It Costs and What It Delivers (The Watchman); The Money Does Not Lie. But It Does Hide. (The Analyst); Why I Built a Council (David Campbell, Chairman). Get them by email → |
Sources: CLR record — La Porte (HCTax 2025 rates; FY2025 ACFR, p.44)
THE HERALD ✦ LA PORTE From the Council This Week |
 | MONDAY, OCT 12 · THE TREASURER Every Dollar Is Working For You or Against You |
 | TUESDAY, OCT 13 · THE STEWARD Count What's Actually in the Pantry |
 | WEDNESDAY, OCT 14 · THE HEADMASTER The Standard Is Not Completion. The Standard Is Transfer. |
 | THURSDAY, OCT 15 · THE STRATEGIST Fewer Things, More Times |
 | FRIDAY, OCT 16 · THE ARTISAN Confusion Is a Form of Abandonment |
Every piece, every figure linked to its source: councilonlocalrelations.org
THE HERALD ✦ LA PORTE Around the Block |
| Little Explorers: Creepy Crafts — 10:15 and 11:15 a.m., La Porte Branch Library, 600 S. Broadway. Ages 0–5; free ticket the morning of. | ||
| Homeschool Meet-Up — 11 a.m., La Porte Branch Library. Parents talk shop while kids do a library activity. | ||
| Little Readers: Monster Stories — 10:15 a.m., La Porte Branch Library. Ages 0–5. | ||
| Pathway to Citizenship — 10:30 a.m., La Porte Branch Library. Free prep for the naturalization interview and civics test; registration required. | ||
| Return to Sunnydale — 6:30 p.m., La Porte Branch Library. A Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan night for adults (teens 14+ with a parent); register ahead. | ||
| Back the Blue BBQ Festival & 5K — 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Jimmy Burke Activity Center, 500 W. 13th St., Deer Park. On the city calendar. |
Your move: know someone studying for the citizenship test? Thursday’s class is free. Run a La Porte event? Send it by Thursday.
Sources: Creepy Crafts · Homeschool Meet-Up · Monster Stories · Pathway to Citizenship · Return to Sunnydale · Back the Blue (city calendar)
THE HERALD ✦ LA PORTE Prosperity Spotlight |
Coupland Signs
Coupland Signs has been family owned and operated since 1992.
Since 2004 it has worked from a red-brick shop just off Main Street, making signs for businesses across the Houston area.
Some of its longtime customers are close to home: the City of La Porte and the La Porte Police Department.
| Coupland Signs · 118 S. Fifth Street, La Porte · 281-867-0678 Mon–Fri 9 a.m.–5:30 p.m. · Closed weekends · couplandsigns.com |
Sources: Coupland Signs
THE HERALD ✦ LA PORTE Food Scene |
Pepe's Mexican Restaurant
Pepe's says it has served Mexican food in La Porte for more than 45 years.
Its owner came to La Porte from San Luis Potosí, Mexico, in 1999, and the previous owner, Mr. Garcia, hired her as a dishwasher. Over the next 18 years she cleared tables, took orders and cooked, and in 2017 she took over the restaurant.
It's family owned and closed Sundays, so plan a weekday lunch or a Saturday.
| Pepe's Mexican Restaurant · 204 W. Fairmont Parkway, La Porte · (281) 941-4776 Mon–Fri 10:30 a.m.–8:30 p.m. · Sat 10–6 · Closed Sunday · pepesmexican.co |
Sources: Pepe's Mexican Restaurant
✦ Trivia Question |
Shoreacres isn’t the first town to fold into La Porte. Which community consolidated with La Porte in 1980? (Answer at the bottom.)
✦ Quote of the Day |
“In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” — Benjamin Franklin, 1789
✦ Secret Little Hack |
Storm season isn’t over. AlertLP is the city’s free emergency alert system — phone, text or email alerts during emergencies. Sign up at AlertLP.com (City of La Porte: AlertLP).
THE HERALD ✦ LA PORTE Real Estate Pulse |
$279,000 median sale price (3 mo. to Aug) | +5.3% vs. a year ago | 33 days median time on market | 98.6% of list price at sale |
Homes are selling faster than a year ago (33 days, down from 41), and about one in four sold above list. 129 homes sold in August, down from 138. That’s the market the appraisal district reads when it values your house. Your move: check your value at hcad.org.
Sources: Redfin — La Porte housing market
| Looking to buy or sell? Nina Bright, Realtor — call or text 832-689-3170. Full disclosure: Nina is David’s wife. |
THE HERALD ✦ LA PORTE Service Opportunities |
Take a shelter dog out for the day. The city shelter’s Doggie Day Out lets you check out a dog for a walk or an errand and bring it back. It also runs short- and long-term fostering and a 72-hour foster-to-adopt trial, and volunteers clean, cuddle cats and run dog playgroups (city shelter page).
THE HERALD ✦ LA PORTE Adopt a Friend |
Meet Junebug
Adult · Female · Cardigan Welsh Corgi / Australian Shepherd mix
A tan, small-sized girl — 25 pounds or less — listed by the city shelter. See Junebug’s listing →
| La Porte Animal Adoption Center and Shelter · 10901 Spencer Hwy, La Porte Tue–Fri noon–6 p.m., Sat–Sun 11 a.m.–4 p.m. (closed Monday) · adoption page |
THE HERALD ✦ LA PORTE Growth & Learning |
Pull out last year’s property tax bill with your kids and find the eight lines. Ask: which one is biggest? Which one do you get to vote on for council? Then add them up and see how close you get to $2.56. Next year, compare. More at unrivaledacademy.com.
THE HERALD ✦ LA PORTE Local Theory & Remnant Radio |
 | Now playing: Sovereign Ground — the latest Local Theory album (April 3, 2026 · 15 tracks). Listen · vote on the mixes. Remnant Radio streams the whole catalog 24/7 at radio.thinkandactlocally.com · Spotify. Fourteen releases. Sovereignty through sound. |
THE HERALD ✦ LA PORTE Weather Forecast |
Sun Mostly sunny 88° 77° | Mon Storms possible 89° 79° | Tue Storms likely 90° 79° | Wed Sunny 89° 77° | Thu Sunny 88° 75° | Fri Sunny 86° 68° | Sat Mostly sunny 78° 62° |
Hot and muggy to start the week, highs near 90. Storm chances run about 40% Monday afternoon and 60% Tuesday. Then it dries out — and by Saturday the high is 78 with a low of 62, the first real taste of fall.
Sources: National Weather Service (HGX), retrieved Oct 11, 2:31 p.m. CT
✦ 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; no claims department, no denial letters. 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 — at no markup. 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. Full disclosure: one of our own businesses. |
✦ Unrivaled Marketing Solutions |
 | You built the business — now make sure your La Porte neighbors can find it. Grab a free digital audit and we’ll show you where you’re leaving money on the table. No pitch. Book your free audit. One of our own businesses. |
✦ Sponsor Spot |
This spot is open. Sponsor this spot — reach La Porte 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 account; affiliate link. Support never touches coverage.
✦ Have a Question? Ask It Live |
Want to understand the framework David uses to put money to work without living in front of a screen? The team behind it runs free live calls — bring your questions, get them answered in real time. No cost to sit in and listen.
Register for a free live call →
Full disclosure: this is an affiliate link. But you know the rule — sponsors support the mission, never influence the message. David doesn't recommend anything he doesn't personally use.
We earn a referral if you join. Education, not financial advice. Options involve risk of loss.
THE HERALD ✦ LA PORTE Community Voices |
Shoreacres neighbors are La Porte neighbors now. If you’re new to the city this year — or you’ve been here forty years — tell us one thing the other side should know about your street. Hit reply — one or two sentences — and we’ll run the best next Sunday.
✦ Take Action |
- Show up Monday, Oct 12 — Drainage & Flooding Committee at 5 p.m., council at 6 p.m., City Hall, 604 W. Fairmont Pkwy. Citizen comment comes first at both.
- Tuesday, Oct 13, 6 p.m. — the Redistricting Advisory Committee takes up the proposed district map.
- Sign up for AlertLP — free city emergency alerts by text, call or email.
✦ Submit Your Content |
Events, business features, volunteer calls, letters from La Porte: david@thinkandactlocally.com. Deadline: Thursday 5 PM for Sunday.
✦ Answer to Trivia |
Lomax. Lomax consolidated with La Porte in 1980, and the Handbook of Texas credits it, along with the growth of Fairmont Park, for a new stretch of prosperity (Handbook of Texas).
THE HERALD ✦ LA PORTE 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 in Shoreacres who may not know which council district they’re about to be in.
| SUBSCRIBE TO THE LA PORTE HERALD → |
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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
