“It’s always a highlight of my year to come and brag about the great city of Montgomery because it is my favorite subject,” Countryman said.
Countryman said the city saw $275,000 in sales taxes in July, which she said was a 21% increase from last July. She said that because many of the businesses in the city were able to stay open during the COVID-19 pandemic, they were able to survive.
“Most of our businesses were essential and that really saved us tremendously,” Countryman said.
Countryman described the commercial and residential growth coming to the city, with $16.7 million in new property value added over the last year, she said. In addition, eight businesses have opened this year in the city, and 800 new homes are expected to be constructed in the next five years, Countryman said.
Countryman also described a project that would include the construction of almost one mile of sidewalk within the city limit. She said one stretch of sidewalk would be on Clepper Drive connecting the Fernland Historical Park to downtown. The other sidewalk would be constructed on Community Center Road between Homecoming Park and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.
Countryman said the total cost for the sidewalk project would be about $508,000, but she said the city applied for two grants that would cover $406,000 of the cost. The city will know in October if they’ve been approved for the grants, she said.
“I think that’s being a good steward of the taxpayers' dollars,” Countryman said.
Countryman said the city is working with the Texas Department of Transportation and Montgomery County to change the flow of traffic at the intersection of Buffalo Springs Drive and Lone Star Parkway, which is a four-way stop. Countryman said the city is considering either adding a stoplight, making a roundabout or adding a turn lane to ease traffic at the intersection.
Countryman said there is no timeline on when that project may start or finish.
Editor's note: A previous version of this story misspelled the name of Montgomery Mayor Sara Countryman. The story has been updated to include the correct spelling.
