Discussion on items is not guaranteed as commissioners have the authority to move items to private executive sessions or to defer them to a future meeting. Montgomery County commissioners court can be livestreamed here.
Petition to create public improvement district near Conroe
A petition to create a public improvement district east of Conroe was noticed on the July 12 agenda. The district petition was noticed by attorneys of Von Schmidt Land and Cattle LLC. If the petition is approved, a public hearing will be held to determine whether the district will be created, according to the Texas Local Government Code.
According to the petition itself, which was included in the agenda, the total land area will be 168.29 acres in county Precinct 4, represented by James Metts. Von Schmidt Land and Cattle LLC was registered with the Texas comptroller’s office in August 2021 by Charles Von Schmidt. According to a press release, Von Schmidt is a real estate developer headquartered in Livingston in Polk County.
Public improvement districts are described in Chapter 372 of the Texas Local Government Code as “definable parts” of a municipality or county that can be created by that municipality or county for “authorized improvements.” A full description of authorized improvements can be found in the statute, but they include creating streets or sidewalks, pedestrian malls and water facilities.
The Von Schmidt PID petition requests the county to manage the district but does not require any payments from the county. Specific improvements were not named in the petition, but the total cost is listed as $36 million.
If approved, the district would be the second PID created in Precinct 4 in 2022, following Meadow Park, which was approved in April.
Joe Corley, U.S. Marshals agreement
The July 12 consent agenda contained an agreement between Montgomery County and the U.S. Marshals Service to house prisoners in the Joe Corley Detention Center in Conroe. Consent agenda items are not typically discussed during a meeting, although any commissioner or the county judge has the authority to move a consent agenda item into the open session.
The agreement is noticed as number 79-00-0071, which has been used for agreements involving the federal government’s use of the center previously, according to Commissioners Court minutes. The last known amendment to the agreement was brought to Commissioners Court on Sept. 14, 2021.
Compared to the Sept. 14 amendment, the July 12 agreement proposes an $85-per-diem rate to house prisoners, compared to the $65.76 rate in 2021. The county will charge this rate to each federal agency housing prisoners in the facility, including the U.S. Marshals and the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
The guard and transportation rate increased minimally compared to the Sept. 14 amendment from $38.04 an hour to $38.05.
Husteel tax abatement noticed for August hearing
A second proposed tax abatement for Husteel America’s 253,000-square-foot facility near Splendora was noticed at the July 12 meeting with a potential approval date of Aug. 23. Per County Attorney B.D. Griffin, tax abatements must receive at least 30 days of notice before they are voted on at a Commissioners Court.
Commissioners let a motion to approve a previous proposed abatement for the company die at a June 28 Commissioners Court session. That abatement would have relieved 100% of taxes for the 10-year period, which is the maximum amount allowed under state law.
The Husteel facility would be used to manufacture pipes used in oil and gas production, known as oil country tubular goods.
County Judge Mark Keough, who spoke against the previous abatement, said at the June 28 session that he did not think the timing was right as county residents struggle with property taxes.
