Woodlands Township Poised To Revisit Incorporation

THE WOODLANDS, TX - The Woodlands Township Board of Directors voted to reinstate a $2.5 million
incorporation reserve and discussed the possibility of commissioning a new updated study on the topic on incorporation.
The vote, which took place at the Nov. 30 meeting , signaled a desire of the new board to fully examine the parameters that would come with incorporating as a city.
Board member Ann Snyder asked the board consider allocating funding in the 2017 budget toward
developing a study to determine the fiscal impact of incorporation and a public input process regarding incorporation, according to a Houston Chronicle report.
"This fall, I received many, many questions regarding incorporation and the fiscal impact," Snyder said. "We want to ensure the information we have is the most updated to ensure for solid governing decisions."
In 2012, Economic and Planning Systems Incorporated completed a study on incorporation in 2012, and township staff completed two brief updates to it this year.
However, board members support the need for more information before moving forward with additional planning initiatives.
The issue of incorporation and subsequent concerns of resulting higher taxes were the subject of election season flyers, billboards and robocalls that were all funded and sent by a group called The Woodlands Concerned Taxpayers.
The same group endorsed a number of candidates, that included Mike Bass, Amy Lampman, Stuart Schroeder and Chris Grice, who were all defeated by Gordy Bunch, John Anthony Brown, Bruce Rieser, and Brian Boniface, and were all endorsed by Residents Advocates.
Meanwhile Township board member John McMullan agreed that there is substantial public interest in incorporation, but that a fresh study is needed.
“I think it would be instructive for this board and the public to know what changes when we
become a city,” he said.
The Woodlands has until 2057 to incorporate, in order to stave off the cities of Conroe and Houston.
If The Woodlands does not incorporate by 2057 it will risk the likelihood of Conroe and Houston annexing portions of the community into their city limits, since The Woodlands is within the extraterritorial jurisdiction of both cities.
However, voters in The Woodlands will have the final say over whether to incorporate if the board of directors calls for an election in the future.
The board must pass a majority vote first to place the decision on a ballot.
However, there is no timeline for an incorporation vote at this time.
“The residents are the decision-makers in this community. The township board members are simply their public servants,” Snyder said.
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