$350 Million Road bond proposal remains divisive issue for residents

FROM Conroe Courier By Stephanie Buckner | Posted: Tuesday, April 14, 2015 10:03 pm

$350 million road bond proposal remains divisive issue for residents

Montgomery County Judge Craig Doyal, pictured with Jason Milsaps, speaks to a full house during Monday’s forum held at First Baptist Church of Groceville to address a proposed $350 million road bond for the county.

The $350 million Montgomery County road bond was the subject of a town hall meeting Monday night at First Baptist Church in Groceville.

The bond, which will be on the May 9 ballot, has garnered opponents and proponents.

County commissioners called for the proposal that will infuse county precincts with millions of dollars for road projects. The bond election was unanimously approved by commissioners during a February meeting, following a proposal by the Montgomery County Road Bond Committee.

County Judge Craig Doyal and longtime Montgomery County resident Jason Milsaps, who works for state Rep. Mark Keough, R-The Woodlands, offered their support for the proposal.

Speaking against the bond were former state Rep. Steve Toth, of The Woodlands, and Montgomery County Tea Party Board Chairman Ken Vaughn, both of whom cited poor planning as one of the main reasons for their opposition.

“I’ve watched as this county has exploded in growth,” said Doyal, adding that estimates suggest that the Montgomery County population will be near 1 million residents by 2035.

Members of Commissioners Court started looking for solutions to address the increasing problems associated with road congestion in the county, according to Doyal. A citizens committee was assigned to draft possible solutions for the county’s immediate needs.

While Doyal admitted that the $350 million proposal would not fix all of the roads, he said, “we felt there was a need to start somewhere.”

Doyal added that county commissioners have looked at potential partnerships with the Texas Department of Transportation and other municipalities and organizations within the area, and that one of the main goals of the proposal is to ensure that no tax rate increase is required.

“As a traffic engineer, I know how these things are supposed to go,” said Vaughn, who has worked as a traffic engineer for many years — even working on a plan for Los Angeles County, Calif. “The problem with this plan is that we have not done the proper planning. We need a thoroughfare plan as well as a long-range plan.”

Vaughn went on to say that given the information he has seen, he believes the proposal falls “very short of what it should be.”

“There are key things that we have to look at on a countywide basis,” Vaughn said. “We have to start planning for these things now and working with the communities.”

Milsaps spoke specifically about the many traffic-related issues on Texas 105, stating that residents in the area have been promised that the road would be widened for more than 20 years now, though no plans have come to fruition.

“The passing of this road bond will give the matching funds necessary to complete this project,” Milsaps said. “What’s needed for our community is finally on TxDOT’s agenda.”

Toth addressed the crowd by first stating that he has witnessed both good and bad use of taxpayer funds and that he believes the passing of the bond proposal would be a bad use of taxpayer dollars. Toth also believes that the bond proposal would elevate the county’s mounting debt, which he suggests is ranked among the highest debt per capita in the state.

“My problem with this bond is that there’s too much in it that we don’t need and not enough in it that we do need,” Toth said. “My fear, which should be all of our fears if we’re elected officials, is that we are taxing people out of their homes.”

The bond’s detractors added that more mobility studies should be conducted before the county attempts to pass a bond.

Doyal responded by stating that while there is no way the county will ever be able to fix every road issue with one bond proposal, the $350 million road bond proposal could take the county a long way toward addressing many necessary maintenance projects, as well as the “complete major rehabs” of several problematic roads in the area.

Following a brief question-and-answer portion, supporters and detractors of the bond referendum gave closing statements. Both sides garnered applause from the audience.

“The issue we should have is that these issues that last for a very short time are being paid for with a 30-year bond,” said Toth, adding that he does not believe this will be the last project of its kind. “We can’t continue to do business this way. It’s irresponsible.”

Doyal responded by stating that the county must make plans today to accommodate future growth in Montgomery County.

“There are 77 projects on this proposal,” Doyal said. “This will make a start in eliminating some of that congestion. Depending on who you talk to — that’s how big the need is. I’ve got to meet the needs of all of Montgomery County.”

He went on to state that the county has a thoroughfare plan that addresses major corridors stretching each way outside of the county.

“We’re not against spending the money,” Vaughn said. “We’re against spending the money unwisely. We need a better plan that will look at the entire county.”

For voting locations and more information, visit www.mctx.org/election.