WMPID board uses sales tax revenues for area improvement projects

The Westwood Magnolia Parkway Improvement District board has used a portion of its sales tax revenues to fund a number of improvement projects. The projects include extending Research Forest Drive, installing two fire hydrants along FM 1488 and buying a ladder truck for the Magnolia Volunteer Fire Department.

In November 2010, voters approved a 2 percent sales-and-use-tax increase for commercial business in the Westwood Magnolia Parkway Improvement District. One percent of those revenues are used by the WMPID for improvement projects and the other 1 percent goes to the city of Conroe as part of a 25-year agreement between WMPID and the city, according to Carl Gerhardt, WMPID board chairman.

"The whole point of the district is to improve the infrastructure in such a way that it improves the economy of the area," Gerhardt said.

The WMPID used sales tax revenues to fund the expansion of Research Forest Drive from where it ended at Branch Crossing to FM 2978. The total cost of the project was $3,090,109. WMPID borrowed the money for the road extension and is now paying it back out of its revenue stream, Gerhardt said.

In October 2012, the WMPID board approved the $8,975 purchase of two fire hydrants to be installed along the FM 1488 corridor near the district. The hydrants were needed to provide the Magnolia Volunteer Fire Department with an easy way to fill its tanker trucks with water if need be.

At its July 2013 meeting, the WMPID board approved $350,000 to purchase a used ladder truck for the fire department. The MVFD was without a ladder truck and needed one to maintain its insurance ISO rating, as a result of taller buildings being erected in the district.