Woodlands Township Meeting - 8/26/2009

First, since I did not report on the July 22nd Township Board Meeting, I want to bring to your attention a statistic of which I was not aware and that was presented by Jim Stiffler (a father whose daughter committed suicide). He said that Montgomery County is at the top for suicide in our State and nation per capita. That's sad and definitely important to know. He attributed it to intense peer pressure, etc. See Mr. Stiffler's report at http://video.thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov/ and click on this meeting date.

It seems the hottest topic at any Township meeting lately is "The Budget". And the hottest budget item is "Security" and how to fund additional police protection. Residents have made many suggestions and so have members of the Township Board including: 1) wait to update existing parks, 2) reduce lights on trees at Town Center, 3) privatize water taxis, 4) no new waterway songs (use old ones), 5) wait to build additions to Creekside Park, 6) wait to install new Town Center paths, 7) no ice rink next Christmas, 8) no horseback security at Mall (use real patrol personnel), 9) no tax abatements to 7 large companies now grandfathered, etc. Several residents have commented on the downturn in the economy and that the 3% increase in next year's budget is probably not realistic. So, the "Budget" was also the hottest topic at the August 26th Township Meeting. It will be interesting to see what gets left out and what gets left in. From what the Board Members stated in this meeting, they plan to find the money to fund the additional security needed to make citizens feel safe by cutting budget items and not increasing it. There were suggestions to lower and to raise the proposed tax rate, and it appears the Township Board has settled on a tax rate of $.328 per $100 of valuation. To view the entire meeting, go to http://video.thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov/ and click on this meeting date.

The Woodlands Township Meeting - June 24, 2009

These are exciting times for The Woodlands. The Woodlands Township Board of Directors is working with The Community Associations of The Woodlands to transition into the governance role effective January 1, 2010, according to The Transition Agreement and their Vision Plan. At that time, resident's assessments will be levied as property tax and become deductible. Currently, The Township has 11 Directors: Nelda Blair-Chairwoman, Lloyd Matthews and Bruce Tough-Vice Chairmen, Alex Sutton-Secretary, Vicki Richmond-Treasurer and Assistant Secretary, and Directors - Tom Campbell, Kemba DeGroot, Peggy Hausman, Claude, Hunter, Bob Kinnear and Rev. Ed Robb. In May 2010, The Township Board will change to 7 Directors with 4 being elected by residents of The Woodlands.

This was a very well run and interesting meeting with a lengthy agenda. The "Public Comment" section of the agenda gives residents a chance to voice their opinions. Some highlights of this meeting were residents speaking about their concerns and suggestions including objections to: 1) the $432,000 payment authorized by The Woodlands to be paid to Shenandoah and Oak Ridge for law enforcement services; 2) actions by the Development Standards Committee, 3) the possible lack of life-saving medical equipment at a 2008 triathalon event, and 4) the VillaSports complex. Points of view about the noise level of VillaSports Athletic Club & Spa were presented by a Panther Creek resident, The Woodlands Association, The Woodlands Commercial Owners Association, and VillaSports. A committee is working to resolve these issues and to avoid future similar issues. Here's a highlight of other topics. TXDOT gave a presentation on the proposed widening of Highway 242 to 6 lanes in 2011, and the Board passed a resolution in support of this expansion project. There is no specific construction schedule and no funding at this time. The Board approved a resolution to remove the Township from the boundaries and taxing jurisdiction of the Metropolitan Transit Authority. New summer programs are in the works for The Waterway Square Fountain area, in addition to the "Live at 5" and "Live at Lunch" events. Check out the new patriotic music at the Waterway Square Fountains. The Board appointed 4 members to The Woodlands Convention and Vistors Bureau. They established future Town Hall meetings to be held in July and January and will add more as needed. The next Town Hall Meeting is July 29, 2009. The 2009 legislative update includes a Pavillion event admissions tax of 5% to fund cultural events, and a Supplemental Hotel Occupancy tax of 1% in 2011, and an additional 1% in 2012.

See archived video of meeting
See meeting minutes