Six months after Montgomery County voters turned down a $350 million road bond referendum, the county is proposing a new bond, one that was created in partnership with the Texas Patriots PAC.
Montgomery County will now hold a $280 million road bond referendum Nov. 5. The proposal comes after Precinct 2 Commissioner Charlie Riley and County Judge Craig Doyal signed a memorandum of understanding with the Patriots PAC outlining details of the referendum, including the exclusion of the highly contested Woodlands Parkway extension.
Bond funds would be divided by precinct, with Precinct 3 receiving $84 million, Precinct 4 receiving $68 million and Precincts 1 and 2 each receiving $64 million.
However, the partnership with the Patriots PAC has been met with opposition from some in the county, including Precinct 1 Commissioner Mike Meador.
“I think we are going down a slippery slope, to let one small interest group dictate what happens in the entire county,” Meador said.
Bond proposal changes
Since meeting with the Patriots PAC, Riley said he removed the Woodlands Parkway extension from the list of projects and is focusing on an expansion of Keenan Cut Off Road.
“I have prioritized Keenan Cut Off 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.”
Additionally, the expansion and realignment of Robinson Road has been removed from the bond project list by Precinct 1 Commissioner James Noack. In exchange, Noack is including a $14.55 million expansion of Woodlands Parkway between I-45 and Grogan’s Mill Road that widens the parkway from three to four lanes in both directions and includes a dedicated turn lane.
However, projects such as an expansion of FM 1097 in Willis and Montgomery remain intact, Doyal said.
PAC influence
The Texas Patriots PAC opposed the $350 million bond referendum during the May election as well as a $200 million bond proposal in 2011.
Julie Turner, Texas Patriots PAC president, said the organization is supporting the November bond referendum because of the removal of the Woodlands Parkway extension and a new county strategy that will be 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 and rehabilitation projects. To address the criticism, county commissioners placed $4 million in a new road and bridge fund in the fiscal year 2016 budget—which commissioners approved Sept. 2.
Starting with the 2017-18 budget, the county will allocate 10.19 percent of property tax revenue to the fund each year.
Concerns to consider
While Meador criticized the partnership with the Patriots PAC, he voted to place the referendum 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. “It seems like a dangerous path that the court has taken.”
Meador said Houston-based criminal defense attorney Chris Downey and the Texas Rangers are conducting a criminal investigation regarding a possible violation of the Texas Open Meetings Act by Doyal and Riley in the days leading up to the partnership with the Patriots PAC. Meador could not elaborate on the case.
Doyal said working with the Patriots PAC will help the bond proposal pass.
“It’s not a matter of letting any group dictate anything, but if there is a group that is very active, very vocal and has a very strong base, you have to talk to them,” Doyal said. “I can put my personal opinions aside to get something accomplished.
The 2018 road bond referendum will total at least $70 million. The two bond proposals total the same $350 million figure proposed in May, but the additional time will give more clarity to the effects of a floundering oil market, Doyal said.
