The Woodlands Township board of directors met Aug. 18 for the second day of discussion of its fiscal year 2027 budget, including details about employee salaries and services.
What residents need to know
Township President and CEO Monique Sharp presented information about growth in the community, noting that the park operations department grew the most, by 13.5 employees, between 2016-25, according to last year's budget presentation. According to data, a total of 162.75 new full-time positions had been added in the township overall since 2016. Additions to staff in that time included:
- 6 dispatch and 38.75 recreation/aquatics positions were offset by revenue gains
- 13 trolley drivers and 35 streetscape positions replaced previously contracted services
- 15 employees were added in the new 10th company for The Woodlands Fire Department
Participation in outdoor recreation programs has increased since COVID-19, Sharp said.
"The demand was so strong, which is why the board at that time did elect to increase, to really boost up in terms of recreation," Sharp said regarding position increases in those departments.
Sharp also shared a breakdown of contracts in the customer engagement department. The department is comprised of:
- Environmental services
- Neighborhood services
- Resident care center
- Contract management
Among township contracts, Sharp said Waste Management is on a $9.6 million annual contract for trash and recycling waste for 36,000 homes while law enforcement contracts represent $21.3 million. The township also has a $1.5 million contract for mounted patrol.
Also of note
Among other departments, Environmental Services has a budget of $787,544 for FY 2027, close to a $12,000 increase, or 1.5%, Sharp said. Salaries and the cost of benefits within this department are decreasing due to employees with higher salaries leaving the organization and newer employees starting at a lower salary than their predecessors, Sharp said.
Board Vice Chair Craig Eissler said he feels the board is doing a good job fiscally managing the budget for employees, noting the number of employees within the township.
However, board member Shelley Sekula-Gibbs said over the past 10 years, the amount of staff increases exceeded population growth in The Woodlands.
“I thought it would be worth discussing and letting people know that if we keep this trajectory going, we are going to really be heavy on staff,” Sekula-Gibbs said.
Before you go
Discussion will continue Thursday and Friday, if needed, for budget workshop meetings at 8:30 a.m. Budget information can be found on the township’s website here.
