Montgomery County Commissioners recently approved a grant application designed to subsidize a new full time executive position. The grant application appeared as item 13 on this weeks Commissioners Court Agenda and seeks to access funds from the International City/County Management Association ICMA 1 is “the leading organization of local government professionals dedicated to creating and sustaining thriving communities throughout the world” and as such drives a distinct technocratic vision of local government by actively advocating for the adoption and retention of the council-manager form of government as the Ideal form. Founded in the Progressive Era the organization sees a problem in leaving the powers of government in the hands of elected officials and therefore prefers cities and counties that are in the hands of their “Professional” managerial bureaucrat class of subject matter experts.
Gates Foundation
It should come as no surprise that the organization lies well within the ambit of globalist billionaires or that in fact the very Grant Program the County is petitioning, the EMO Special Assistants Program is funded by the Gates Foundation. The ICMA site names the foundation as the source of the grant funds and link directly to the Foundation website.
At first glance you might think the Commissioners are conflating MOBILITY ala the recently “1% of voters approved” $480 Million dollar road bond with UPWARD MOBILITY in the personal aspiration sense. Indeed they do mention the bond in the commissioner approved application to IMCA. However as we shall see, the role they seek to temporarily fund with other people’s money fund runs far afield of road building.
Subject:
“Consider and approve the Fiscal Year 2026 Economic Mobility & Opportunity Special Assistants grant application to the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) for County Judge’s Office. This grant application is for one Special Assistant position. The County is required to pay for benefits for this position as match, if awarded. Please authorize Rebecca Ansley to be authorized official and submit on behalf of Montgomery County.”
The Money
Per the application FAQ ~ “The largest share of grant funding will be dedicated to salary for the EMO Special Assistant (EMO SA) across their tenure, which is anticipated to be 30 months. EMO SA salaries will vary between host communities and should be commensurate with local government’s salary for senior level positions. The anticipated upper limit for this support is $250,000 total over the course of a 30-month tenure in the host community. Example: the base salary for a comparable-level position in your local government is $85,000 annually ($7,083.33 monthly); you could expect to receive a total of $212,500 to cover 30 months of salary support through this grant.”
As with all philanthropist billionaires their strategic agenda driven gifts start out great but this one will expire after 30 months, leaving taxpayers on the hook.
That’s not all, you must play to get the pay. Indoctrination sessions are part of the program and expectations for participation are spelled out in advance ~ “Additionally, the grant includes limited funding for wrap-around services such as relocation support; the EMO SA’s travel to annual convenings; consulting and expenses for a community engagement/co-design process; hiring an intern; and implementation of local activities. “
The Application
The ICMA website along with the grant landing page is loaded with Progressive jargon and buzzwords. The application format is a set of seven questions posed fitting woke parlance calling out our County Governments best practices on a number of mission critical issues ~ e.g. ) “What are the primary challenges to upward economic mobility” , “Describe how your local government currently prioritizes upward mobility and opportunity for its residents.”, Regarding coordination across the local government ~ “please describe any existing internal/external collaborations, coalitions, networks, or other relevant models that could support these efforts?” and the big one ~ ) “What organizational capacity challenges currently hinder your local government from planning or implementing holistic upward mobility and opportunity initiatives for your community?”
Subject:
Consider and approve the Fiscal Year 2026 Economic Mobility & Opportunity Special Assistants grant application to the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) for County Judge’s Office. This grant application is for one Special Assistant position. The County is required to pay for benefits for this position as match, if awarded. Please authorize Rebecca Ansley to be authorized official and submit on behalf of Montgomery County.
Indeed, Commissioners did not disappoint, they have handily responded to each question employing convincing progressive language. But at one point in particular the reader might begin to wonder if we live in the same county as the County Judge and Commissioners portray.
e.g.
Question 1) What are the primary challenges to upward economic mobility faced by residents in your community? Explain both the known barriers and the populations most impacted by these issues?
Judge Mark Keough and the Commissioners seems more that willing to cry poor to Bill gates….
“Residents of Montgomery County, Texas face several significant challenges to upward economic mobility, with the most pressing barriers being lack of affordable housing, transportation issues, disparities in access to resources and persistent rural poverty. The rapid growth of the county has resulted in a shortage of affordable housing and blue-collar employment opportunities making it difficult for lower and middle income residents. This shortage limits opportunities for economic advancement and creates a competitive environment. Transportation challenges are a major concern; lack of public transportation and commute times in Montgomery County are higher than both the State and regional averages, posing a barrier for workers who cannot afford to live near major employment centers. There are significant rural areas where poverty can be overlook. ( sic) Residents in these pockets often lack access to resources and job opportunities, which further entrenches economic disadvantage. Limited access to effective job and skills training programs, especially for low income and legal immigrant communities also restricts pathways to higher paying employment. The populations most impacted by these barriers include low income families and children who face higher risks of developmental delays and limited job prospects. Residents in rural areas, such as East Montgomery County, West Montgomery and North Willis face significant challenges due to limited resources and visibility.”
That is enough to make you want to break out in song, Coal Miners Daughter comes to mind, as does Ole Man River.
Montgomery County today, in spite of all the economic uncertainty , inflation and increasing announced corporate layoffs is still among the fastest growing counties in Texas AND the USA! Montgomery County is considered less vulnerable economically, with a median household income around $83,274 to $97,266, which is about 30% higher than the Texas state median.
Montgomery County has a poverty rate of about 8.5% to 10.1%, depending on the source, which is significantly below the threshold (20%) used to classify a county as a “poverty county” in Texas.
Constitutional Responsibilities Anyone?
Further, to Question 3) “What organizational capacity challenges currently hinder your local government from planning or implementing holistic upward mobility and opportunity initiatives for your community?”
Judge Keough or Commissioner Wheeler sound almost apologetic.
“The County’s government structure, led by the Commissioners Court and supported by numerous County departments is primarily focused on core constitutional responsibilities such as infrastructure, law enforcement and budget management often leaving limited bandwidth for comprehensive social or economic mobility programs. Strict budgetary controls and adherence to state mandated balanced budget requirements can restrict the flexibility needed for innovative or multi sectoral initiatives that address the broader determinants of upward mobility, such as affordable housing, workforce development and health impartiality.”
This is pure progressive claptrap, HELLO! Tax payers want the County to be restrained to constitutional responsibilities.
Question 2. is where the Commissioners literally do conflate traffic MOBILITY with UPWARD MOBILITY ~
“Montgomery County, Texas currently prioritizes upward mobility and opportunity for its residents primarily through major infrastructure investments and a focus on long term growth management. The County’s governing body has placed a strong emphasis on improving transportation and mobility demonstrated by the recently successful $480 million road bond proposition’s approved by the voters in May 2025. This bond aims to fund nearly 80 projects across all county precincts addressing critical needs such as road expansions, maintenance and facility improvements to support the County’s rapid population growth and ensure residents can access jobs and services efficiently. The County’s approach is characterized by thoughtful planning, transparent and public engagement with leaders encouraging community input and leveraging external expertise to ensure that infrastructure projects reflect residents priorities and financial realities.”
I don’t know where the Commissioners Court are coming from. I’d say they are crying wolf on our behalf.
And what’s more, all this talk about persistent rural poverty and invisibility, did the Commissioners Court not consider that burdening those and the rest of us Taxpayers with approaching $1Billion in additional tax increases to retire their broad bond actually retards the “Upward Mobility” of us all. The INVISIBLE rural people I know don’t want four lane highways into their neighborhoods, rather they want independence from big government and big spending.
The truth is the ones who will benefit in terms of upward mobility from the $480 M bond money are the friend of the Commissioners, architects, engineers, contractors and the myriad of tax feeders surrounding them. I almost forgot, Developers.
So who is behind all this is not certain, but a review of Agenda Item # 13 above does reveal newly minted Pct 3 Commissioner Ritch Wheeler as an outspoken advocate for the new EMO. His comments include, ” this position is critically important for the county because our EDPs are not talking to each other.” apparently the separate EDPs are ” not really coming together” somehow that’s perceived as a problem by Wheeler. Never mind that in spite of Governor Abbotts chant that “Freedom is a Magnet” to bring people to Texas or to a county , all the EDP people do is run around with checkbook. Wheeler talks like he wants to streamline it all. ” What this position will do is be kind of an umbrella over all of those EDPs”
What a way to say lets centralize and grow government. Straight from NOACK 2.0 .
- https://icma.org/emo-sa[↩]
Discover more from MCTXonline
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
