Montgomery County Commissioners Court approved a $280 million road bond referendum to be placed on the Nov. 3 ballot during a special session Aug. 24.
If approved, bond funds would be divided between precincts. Precinct 3 would receive $84 million, Precinct 4 would receive $68 million, and Precincts 1 and 2 would each receive $64 million.
The bond proposal does not include an extension of Woodlands Parkway from FM 2978 to Hwy. 249, which was heavily opposed in The Woodlands as part of the $350 million bond referendum voted down by residents in May.
The decision to approve the new bond package was reached after County Judge Craig Doyal and Precinct 2 Commissioner Charlie Riley came to an agreement with The Woodlands-based Texas Patriots Political Action Committee on the framework of the proposal, county officials said.
Riley said he removed the Woodlands Parkway extension from the list of projects and is instead focusing on an expansion of Keenan Cutoff Road in Montgomery.
“I have prioritized Keenan Cutoff Road over Woodlands Parkway because of the two new schools that Montgomery ISD will build on that road,” Riley said. “That road cannot wait for those two schools.”
The Texas Patriots PAC vocally opposed the $350 million bond referendum during the May election as well as a $200 million bond proposal in 2011. The PAC also supported Rob Harmon for Precinct 2 commissioner over Charlie Riley and Mark Bosma for Montgomery County judge over Doyal during the 2014 elections.
“I have prioritized Keenan Cutoff Road over Woodlands Parkway because of the two new schools that Montgomery ISD will build on that road. That road cannot wait for those two schools.”
—Charlie Riley, Montgomery County Precinct 2 commissioner
Texas Patriots PAC President Julie Turner said the organization is supporting the November bond referendum because of the removal of the Woodlands Parkway extension and a new county strategy being implemented to fund maintenance projects.
“This is what the PAC would suggest so it worked out,” Turner said. “If they don’t want our support, they can do whatever they want.”
Another criticism levied by opponents of the May bond referendum was the use of bond funds for maintenance projects. To address the criticism, the county placed an additional $4 million in a road and bridge fund in the 2015-16 budget.
Precinct 1 Commissioner Mike Meador was the only commissioner to criticize the partnership with the PAC. However, he voted in favor of the bond referendum’s placement on the Nov. 3 ballot.
“I am disappointed in how it was done—a small group of people from a special interest group serving as a bond committee and dictating to some of the court, not me, how much each precinct would receive and what work was to be done,” Meador said.
The court is also planning a 2018 road bond referendum of at least $70 million. The three years between the two referendums will provide commissioners more time to evaluate effects of the oil market downturn, Doyal said.
Montgomery County Commissioners Court approved a $280 million road bond referendum to be placed on the Nov. 3 ballot during a special session Aug. 24.
If approved, bond funds would be divided between precincts. Precinct 3 would receive $84 million, Precinct 4 would receive $68 million, and Precincts 1 and 2 would each receive $64 million.
The bond proposal does not include an extension of Woodlands Parkway from FM 2978 to Hwy. 249, which was heavily opposed in The Woodlands as part of the $350 million bond referendum voted down by residents in May.
The decision to approve the new bond package was reached after County Judge Craig Doyal and Precinct 2 Commissioner Charlie Riley came to an agreement with The Woodlands-based Texas Patriots Political Action Committee on the framework of the proposal, county officials said.
Riley said he removed the Woodlands Parkway extension from the list of projects and is instead focusing on an expansion of Keenan Cutoff Road in Montgomery.
“I have prioritized Keenan Cutoff Road over Woodlands Parkway because of the two new schools that Montgomery ISD will build on that road,” Riley said. “That road cannot wait for those two schools.”
The Texas Patriots PAC vocally opposed the $350 million bond referendum during the May election as well as a $200 million bond proposal in 2011. The PAC also supported Rob Harmon for Precinct 2 commissioner over Charlie Riley and Mark Bosma for Montgomery County judge over Doyal during the 2014 elections.
