“We all know we need another road bond,” he said in a Jan. 9 interview. “As far as us sitting down, forming a committee and putting it on the agenda to talk about it, we have not done that yet.”
However, Precinct 3 Commissioner James Noack said in an email Jan. 9 he is not aware of any conversations regarding a road bond in 2023.
"While there are mobility needs across the county, timing is important; so is countywide community support," he said. "With inflation at a 40-year high, interest rates going through the roof and a recession knocking on the door, I am very skeptical about a bond right now."
Noack said he is concentrating on using what is left of the current budget for transportation projects.
"I’m using cash on hand to continue to improve mobility and safety in Precinct 3, and until the community feels comfortable with a bond and the associated tax increase it brings, I’m going to do all I can with the current budget," he said. "When the community is ready for a road bond, we will move swiftly—it’s their money. “
Still, Riley said he is hoping county officials start the committee process as early as the first quarter. Precinct 4 Commissioner Matt Gray, Precinct 1 Commissioner Robert Walker and County Judge Mark Keough did not respond to requests for comment.
“It’s not going to be a little road bond,” Riley said. “We can’t do a $280 million road bond again. We have to have a significant road bond to take care of the things we need to get done.”
The last Montgomery County road bond was called in 2015. Voters approved the $280 million bond package, which funded a variety of projects throughout the county.
Community Impact previously reported the bond funding has gone to complete Precinct 2 projects on Fish Creek Thoroughfare—the bridge over Lake Creek and the overpass across FM 2854—a widening of Nichols Sawmill Road and constructing Grand Pines Drive as well as projects in the other three precincts, such as the Gosling Road bridge project in Precinct 3.
Riley said while he has a dollar figure in mind for an upcoming road bond, he said the topic is still being discussed among commissioners. Should a bond be called, he said he plans to prioritize funding for county road improvements instead of improvements that would require matching funds from the Texas Department of Transportation.
“I’ve got some roads that I know I want to expand, like Nichols Sawmill Road and Old Hwy. 105,” he said. “I want to do mainly county roads when I do a road bond. I’m not going to spend a lot of time or money trying to match funds with TxDOT; that’s going to take me 10 years to complete no matter what I do. I’m going to focus my efforts on fixing county roads and county intersections.”
Riley said he also hopes to rehab a number of roads that cannot be covered by the county’s toll road fund, which receives toll revenue from the Hwy. 249 tollway in Pinehurst.
Lizzy Spangler contributed to this report.
