The Woodlands outlines 2025 legislative priorities including tax abatements, event funding

As the Texas Legislature moves past its second week of the 89th session, The Woodlands Township board of directors is looking to amend its enabling legislation in an effort to allow the township greater autonomy as a special-purpose district.

What you need to know

Director of Intergovernmental Affairs Todd Stephens presented two priorities to the township board on Jan. 22 for lobbying firm Williams Public Affairs to focus on during the legislative session, both of which aim to amend the township's enabling legislation.

Creating tax abatement agreements

Due to the township's status as a special-purpose district, The Woodlands cannot directly create a tax abatement agreement with a business unless the Montgomery County Commissioner's Court creates the agreement first. If changes are made to the township's enabling legislation, Stephens said the township would be able to directly create tax abatement agreements for economic development purposes, as well as create its own incentives and guidelines instead of following the county's.

Looking back: The township had to reschedule a meeting to approve a tax abatement agreement with life science company Bionova Scientific in May because it had to wait for the county's final approval.

The reasoning: "We do have the opportunity for economic development incentives under our enabling legislation, particularly through the use of tax abatements," Stephens said.

Becoming eligible to apply for Texas Event Trust Funds Program

Stephens said the township must currently go through the county to apply for state funding with the Event Trust Funds Program for major sports and entertainment events which occur in The Woodlands, such as the Chevron Championship and the Memorial Hermann Ironman Texas event. The program is administered by the governor's office to help incentivize major sports events to come to various municipalities across the state.

Looking back: The Ladies Professional Golf Association was first contracted through the county in early 2024 before it could work with the township to host the Chevron Championship.

The reasoning: "We are in a situation where we also have to go through another entity in order to be able to pursue that grant opportunity for whatever organization we may be working with for that event, and it was recommended that we potentially consider the idea of trying to also have our enabling legislation amended so that we could directly be approached by the governor's office when we have an event that might qualify for that level of funding," Stephens said

What else?

Board members voted unanimously, with Linda Nelson and Richard Franks absent, to pursue the priorities outlined by Stephens. However, Stephens also said the legislature will be "taking a closer look" at special-purpose districts this session due to some concerns regarding abuses of the system. However, he said the township has not been an area of concern for legislators on that topic.