From Conroe Courier
To the editor:
It is time to end the gridlock. For too many weeks now, the proponents and the opponents of the upcoming road bond election have been seemingly at stalemate, both sides firmly entrenched in their beliefs. However, the opposing side has tended to make up facts or distort truths in their efforts to shut down over six dozen major road improvement projects that are essential to the growth of Montgomery County. The decision-making process much like the traffic on our clogged roads has stalled.
My father served with distinction as County Commissioner for 26 years, and my family and I could not be more proud of the progress and growth that occurred here in Montgomery County during his tenure and service to Commissioner’s Court. I myself have lived in several different areas of the county including Oak Ridge, The Woodlands, and Spring so I can see the needs of the entire county and count myself above the accusations of those who say residents of one precinct don’t look out for any of the other precincts. Early voting for the road bond commences on April 27<x-apple-data-detectors://4>, and I say it is high time to accept some facts and move forward.
There seems to be a lone voice stating that any extensions to Woodlands Parkway will result in a new FM 1960. This is like comparing apples to aardvarks: FM 1960 is nearly all-commercial, while The Woodlands Parkway is nearly all-residential. To assume people like you and I accept this outrageous comparison is to assume that our collective IQ is as low as our traveling speeds. I believe the county residents are better informed and smarter than that.
Then there are those who cannot believe that there will not be a tax rate increase. Here it is put simply: The 77 projects the Commissioner’s Court unanimously approved at the cost of $350 million was carefully calculated to rely on current and future property tax revenue from new residents and businesses, based on current and past growth patterns. To those who say that they pay more in property taxes every year, the response is simple: your property taxes are based on the value of your house. The higher your house value, the more money you pay in property taxes. You want your house value to increase for your own financial equity comfort, and if your property tax amount does go up because of your house value, it will do so with or without the bond approval. Our home values increase because our county is in demand, people want to work and raise their families here. But you will pay absolutely nothing more in property taxes due to the road bond; your tax rate will not go up as a result of this road bond, and it’s as simple as that.
To those who want to defeat the entire road bond because they don’t like every single project on it, may I remind you that you can please some of the people some of the time, but you can never please everyone all of the time. The road bond was approved as-is by a 10-1 vote in committee and unanimously approved by all four county commissioners, and endorsed by nearly every local mayor and chamber of commerce. Experts everywhere agree this bond is what the county needs to grow, let alone survive. To want to defeat the entire bond because you don’t like a single project on it makes as much sense as wanting to close a restaurant down because you don’t like the apple pie on the menu.
The naysayers to the bond rely on old battles and old news. It is time to move forward. Everyone should be able to move freely any way they want throughout this great county, and that movement starts with a trip to the polling station to vote for the road bond.
Judy Chance Duroy
