REBEL ALLIANCE JOINS FORCES WITH GALACTIC EMPIRE FOR NOV BOND
$280M road bond going to Montgomery County voters Nov. 3
From Conroe Courier By Catherine Dominguez | Posted: Monday, August 24, 2015 7:21 pm
In a unanimous vote, Montgomery County commissioners voted to place a $280 million road bond referendum on the Nov. 3 ballot.
In addition, the court approved two resolutions: one to annually allocate a minimum of 10.19 percent of each year’s total property tax revenue for road and bridge refurbishing and rehabilitation; and second, that a potential $70 million road bond referendum in 2018 be structured in such a way that at least 85 percent of the proceeds allocated to each precinct be used for new roads, road widening, intersection improvement, bridges, elevated roadways or safety enhancements.
While the court was supportive of the action to call the bond, Precinct 1 Commissioner Mike Meador said he supported a road bond but not the way the recent referendum was conceived. He was also the lone nay vote against the two resolutions, saying they were nonbinding.
On Friday, County Judge Craig Doyal’s office issued a press release that the county along with The Woodlands-based Texas Patriots PAC had “reached an agreement on the framework of a November road bond that all parties could support.”
The proposed bond will be divided with Precinct 3 receiving $84 million, Precinct 4 receiving $68 million and Precincts 1 and 2 each receiving $64 million.
Meador said he was pleased to get a bond referendum to the voters but was “disappointed how it was done.”
“A small group of people from a special-interest group serving as the bond committee dictated the sum of the court, not me; how much each precinct would receive and what work was to be done,” Meador said. “I was informed last Thursday that the bond issue was designed and we would have this special session to approve taking it to the voters still with no input from anyone in the county except for this one group.
“Seems to be a dangerous path the court is taking. Representation of the whole county has obviously been placed in the hands of a small group. … I’m just very disappointed how we got here.”
Meador, however, said the bond will help in getting critical mobility needs addressed in his precinct.
According to Doyal, Precinct 2 Commissioner Charlie Riley initiated the process with the PAC with a goal to determine what common ground the county could have with the group. The PAC was a vocal opponent of the $350 million road bond referendum that failed in May.
“I have never let go of the belief that we needed to get started on road projects,” Riley said. “We are so far behind; I doubt we will catch up.”
Riley said what he learned from meeting with PAC representatives is that both had “a lot in common.”
“We agreed that Montgomery County is growing. We agreed that Montgomery County is behind in its road programs. We agree that Montgomery County needs to use its resources wisely to plan for future growth. We agreed that Montgomery County needs to catch up on maintenance and that it needs to be a part of our current budget. We agreed that the Montgomery County commissioners know what the road needs of their precincts are and they are the best qualified to make those judgments,” Riley said.
Commissioners will be able to choose from the 76 projects on the failed May road bond (excluding the Woodlands Parkway extension) to meet their allotted funding.
However, Doyal said the final lists are not yet available.
While the controversial Woodlands Parkway extension from FM 2978 to Texas 249 is not on the bond list, Riley said he is prioritizing work to Keenan Cut-Off in light of the Montgomery Independent School Districts plans to build two new schools in that area.
Also removed from the project list is the widening of Robinson Road in Oak Ridge North, which also received a large amount of opposition from city residents.
Precinct 3 Commissioner James Noack and Precinct 4 Commissioner Jim Clark said they too support the bond and resolutions.
“Sitting here on this court for 2-1/2 years, this may be one of my proudest moments I think I have experienced because of the togetherness we were able to achieve in the face of defeat,” said Noack, thanking Doyal and Riley for their efforts to get the referendum on the November ballot.
