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The Woodlands Township board of directors started the third day of the fiscal year 2027 budget workshop sessions on Aug. 19 to discuss items such as $13.7 million in projected capital project funds, including requests from The Woodlands Fire Department and the Information Technology department.
What happened
Township President and CEO Monique Sharp started the meeting with a presentation on capital project funds with a breakdown of departments showing:
The over $8.7 million slated for the Parks and Recreation capital projects outlined pathways and athletic facilities as the highest line items.
Fire Chief Palmer Buck also discussed several of the items in The Woodlands Fire Department’s $3.1 million capital budget for fiscal year 2027, which includes $1.37 million for a new fire engine previously approved in 2024 and scheduled to be delivered this year. The budget also included a request for a $70,000 motor to place in an older fire apparatus to make the vehicle operate longer.
According to discussion at the meeting, the fire department comprises roughly 20% of the township’s budget.
Dive deeper
Board Chair Brad Bailey said having more Montgomery County Hospital District ambulances in The Woodlands would be helpful, as Buck said 65% of The Woodlands Fire Department’s calls are for medical emergencies. Bailey also noted that firefighters are certified for emergency medical services to assist in medical needs as backup.
“Maybe looking at a future meeting of ... commissioning a study to work with the Montgomery County Hospital District on how we can better lower response time so they can get down to the The Woodlands Fire Department's response time, would be advantageous to save lives, but also look at being good stewards of the taxpayer money,” Bailey said.
Bailey brought up the possibility of a partnership with the city of Shenandoah for a new fire station east of I-45 by the Woodforest Bank Stadium, noting though it’d take a long time to complete, Shenandoah, which contracts with the township’s fire department, has interest in the collaboration.
“I think, is a great opportunity for us to expand our footprint [in partnering] with Shenandoah, as they pay for those services,” Bailey said.
Also of note
IT Director William Pham discussed a $100,000 initiative for targeted AI training for FY 2027. That breaks down to $30,000 in training and $70,000 in licensing and usage, he said.
Pham said the focus at first would be on departments such as Covenant Administration and Finance as well as IT and Communications.
Bailey said a committee could look at ways to streamline Covenant Administration, the township department which enforces deed restrictions, before introducing AI.
“If we're plugging into a system that's not really doing the best possible scenario for us, because there's so much demand in that department that’s outwardly facing ... before we start plugging IT into it, the residents should be able to use this, take a picture of their plans and submit it [to be] be a step in the right direction before we start to introducing AI,” Bailey said.
Director Adam Lamb said a consultant to help advise the township on the best way to navigate Covenant Administration could be worth the investment if it wasn’t too expensive.
What else?
Bailey also suggested formalizing a partnership agreement with Conroe ISD to build a new multiuse practice facility. He suggested Bear Branch Park as the location.
“Having that [facility] as a partnership with CISD, can be used for lacrosse, it could be used for football, it can use for soccer [and] it can be used for all sorts of events. I think it would be a huge amenity in the future.”
Discussion on the FY 2027 budget concluded at the Aug. 20 budget workshop, which wrapped before the scheduled Aug. 20 regular meeting set to take place later that day.
