The Woodlands Township board of directors will meet May 21 for public hearings on several items previously discussed at the April 23 meeting.
The public hearings will address proposed amendments to park user fees and covenant administration fees, according to the board agenda.
The overview
The goal of the user fee program is 100% cost recovery for the township's Recreation Division and 50% for the Aquatics Operations Division, according to meeting materials. In fiscal year 2025, that amounted to about $8.1 million for program, facility and pass fees. The township's 2026 Parks and Recreation Fees Analysis generated the following findings and recommendations:
- Non-resident fees: Maintain non-resident pricing at approximately twice the resident rate for most facilities.
- Park pavilions: Implement modest increases.
- Commercial use fees: Introduce fees for Waterway Square, Hughes Landing Bandshell and Waterway use such as walks and runs, unless there are 200 documented hotel nights from the event.
- Park and Ride fees: Implement a per-space, per-day fee option for nonprofit use.
- Fields: Increase fees by 8%.
- Courts: No changes to tennis or pickleball rates; add non-resident pricing for volleyball and basketball.
- Indoor facilities: No fee changes recommended; introduce a deposit requirement for full facility rentals.
- Aquatics fees: Increase resident pool pass fees by $5 for the 2027 season.
- Boat House/Texas TreeVentures: Adjust second-hour boat house rental rates to align with the market.
- ActiveNet registration software: Beginning in spring 2027, pass through the approximately 3% transaction fee to users for credit cards.
There have been minor changes to the facility fee schedule, but the last major review happened in 2021, according to the agenda.
What else
Another public hearing will cover proposed revisions to Covenant Administration Department fees. Community Impact previously reported that the new fees would be applicable to enhanced services to recover extra cost and time for:
- Additional resources and technical review
- Committee review and variances
- Third-party code inspections
The CAD changes will affect commercial properties primarily and include a requirement that each improvement requesting a variance will incur an expense fee instead of a hearing fee, according to meeting materials. It will encourage application submissions before installation and create administrative fees for any enforcement actions taken, according to the agenda. If the board decides to update the CAD fee schedule, it would go into effect July 1.
Before you go
The board will also consider funding for the Township Mobility Hub Alternatives Analysis. This would examine the feasibility of a multi-faceted mobility hub in the township's Town Center, including a parking garage, as well as identifying public-private partnership options for funding, according to meeting materials.
The total budget for the analysis is $215,000 according to agenda materials. There is currently no funding designated in the FY 2026 budget for this project, but the township's Hotel Occupancy Tax reserve was proposed as a funding source, according to meeting materials. The board is requesting $250,000 in total to address contingencies.
Funding will help with a study for long-term benefits to the township, with no direct cost to the township’s general fund for the study. All proposed work for the township’s analysis would be done by The Goodman Corp., a township contractor. If the board approves using $250,000 from the Hotel Occupancy Tax reserve to fund the analysis, the goal is to have a draft to staff by the end of this year, according to agenda materials.
