As The Woodlands Township proceeds with its in-depth governance analysis ahead of a possible landmark election in 2014, township officials and urban planners will be turning to community residents in 2012 for their input about what form of government The Woodlands will take.

Following an analysis of the township's current governance performance in 2011 and a comparison of staffing levels should the township become a city, the township will share those results with residents and solicit feedback during a series of public meetings this year. The township has contracted with Partners for Strategic Action, an urban planning firm based in Arizona, to assist in the process.

"That [process] will be comprised of town hall meetings, focus groups, educational and information sharing with all of our residents concerning the options that will be available in 2014 for the future government of The Woodlands," said township board of directors chairman Bruce Tough.

Those options, he said, would include a review of the legal and financial cost of becoming a city, remaining a township, or adding additional legislative enhancements to the existing government entity that serves The Woodlands.

"So it's going to be a very inclusive process and an intensive community engagement process involving all of our residents who wish to attend," Tough said.

Public meetings

Although no dates have been finalized, the public engagement process will begin in mid- to late- January with a pair of discussion groups and randomly selected residents. Those meetings will focus on testing messaging and informational materials where the township will receive feedback on those processes.

Among the primary issues that will be discussed at the meetings is a financial analysis should The Woodlands incorporate, said Curt Dunham, PSA chief executive officer.

"We are looking at a baseline year of 2015 and projecting the responsibility of municipality," Dunham said.

Those responsibilities could include the creation of a public works department, construction of a police department and detention facility and inclusion of local municipality utility districts and those district's debts, he said.

"These are all costs that would come along should the community decide to incorporate," Dunham said.

In order to fund the additional services and facilities, the township would need to increase its revenue. The most likely source for additional funds, Dunham said, would be a hike in property tax.

"The [township] sales tax is already, so [the additional revenue] would have to come from an increase property tax," Dunham said.

Then in late February or early March, the township and PSA will meet with stakeholders in the community, such as representatives from the retail and hospitality industry, local major employers and service providers to obtain their feedback in the governance process.

Also during that period, governance representatives will attend Village Association meetings and host two community forums to communicate the results of the studies and efforts and obtain feedback from the residents. Tough said meeting dates will be announced via the township's website and community magazine.

"It will be in every form of media available to us," Tough said.

Results of incorporation

One of the key areas of focus during the governance process has been evaluating what services the township currently provides, what services The Woodlands as a city would provide, and a cost analysis of a potential shift to a municipality.

"There's a price tag in making the selection in going from a township to a municipality," Tough said. "When you become a municipality there is a lot of municipal services provided to the residents that are now being provided by the county."

Among the services provided by Montgomery County to The Woodlands Township are traffic control and road maintenance, animal control and health and safety services. As a municipality, The Woodlands would be responsible for providing those services on its own, although those services could be contracted with county agencies.

But the most significant, and one of the costliest, differences would be in policing. As a township, The Woodlands contracts with the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office and Harris County Constable's Office to provide police protection to the township.

According to a study conducted by Economic and Planning Systems, Inc. and announced in October, as a municipality the township would be required to establish its own police department and hire an additional 55 full-time employees.

2014 vote

In 2007, residents of The Woodlands voted in favor of transitioning to a township form of government. Part of that transition included entering into regional participation agreements with the cities of Conroe and Houston so that they would not annex The Woodlands. A requirement of the RPA is that The Woodlands conduct an election at some point in the next 50 years. The first opportunity to have that election is May 29, 2014.

Whether or not that election will, in fact, be held has yet to be determined.

"That is going to be the single largest issue that The Woodlands Township board of directors will be faced with," Tough said. "There could be a cost issue involved, a practicality issue involved, or a legal issue involved. We want to make sure the process includes all of those considerations."

Comparison chart of City vs. Township