September 2021 News
From the
Grogan's Mill Village Association
Township Board Elections
Township Board of Director's elections will be held on November 2, there are three open positions. Only that held by Bob Milner is contested. To vote in this and the incorporation election you must register by October 4. You must be 18, a US citizen, a resident of The Woodlands for six months, and a resident of Texas for one year.
Vote on Incorporation on November Ballot
The Woodlands Township Board of Directors has called for an incorporation election on November 2, 2021. Residents of The Woodlands can vote "for" or "against" the propositions shown below:
THE WOODLANDS TOWNSHIP – PROPOSITION A
Authorizing the Type-A city incorporation of The Woodlands Township District and the adoption of an initial property tax rate of not more than $0.2231 per one hundred dollars ($100) valuation of taxable property
THE WOODLANDS TOWNSHIP – PROPOSITION B
Upon incorporation of The Woodlands Township District into a Type-A General Law City to be called the City of The Woodlands, the transfer of the rights, powers, privileges, duties, purposes, functions, responsibilities, the authority to issue bonds, and the authority to impose taxes from The Woodlands Township District to the City of The Woodlands
More information...
GMVA News
Dr. Shelley Sekula-Gibbs, who was one of the members who supported the incorporation vote, gave a presentation on her reasons for doing so at the August GMVA meeting. This month, we have invited all three Township Board of Director candidates to join our meeting. Our meetings are on Zoom and can be watched by the public. Our next meeting is scheduled for September 20 and you can email info@gmva.org for the Zoom link the week of September 13, if you would like to join.
Voting is Important this Year - Stay Informed
This year the most important issue we will be voting on is whether we should become a city. If we vote to become a city, we will become a general law city the day following the election. Six months later we will vote for a city council who will draft a charter for a home rule city. If a 'no' vote is cast, then another election can be held at some later date. Your board members, who are of different opinions, believe that the residents should be informed about the issues. To help you make an informed decision we have listed the major known sources of information below. We cannot vouch for the accuracy of any of the statements or conclusions. The sources include:
The August and September issues of The Woodlands Community Magazine
TownshipFuture, a local advocacy group
The Howard Hughes Corporation, the developer of The Woodlands, which has a vested interest in remaining a Township. They have published a consultants analysis of the Townships consultants report.
The table below shows voter turnout in the Woodlands since the county began tabulating the votes. Odd-numbered years, such as this, have historically had low voter turnout.
Those Big Blue Signs
The blue signs that you see around the Woodlands have been placed there by the Howard Hughes Corporation. They either own the property outright or have given others an easement on which they can legally place signs. They have also placed ads in the local papers focusing on incorporation costs. The report that the Howard Hughes Company commissioned on incorporation taxes can be found at this link.
Trees After the Freeze
A number of trees have been cut down in Market Street. These are "zombie trees" that suffered damage during the freeze in February. The removed trees will be replaced.
News from Your MUD
The Woodlands MUDs will be voting by September 15 if they will agree to the scope of a study proposed by the San Jacinto River Authority to study if, where, and when a new sewerage system should be installed in The Woodlands. The ultimate cost will likely be between 400-500 million dollars.
The WWA Trustees have formed a working group to work with the SJRA on the Waster Water Plant improvements needed. Options include 1) Modernize Waste Treatment Plant #1 in its current location, 2) Consolidate Waste Water Plants #1 and #2 at the current location of #2, and no longer use Plant #1, 3) completely rebuild a Modern Waste Water treatment plant capable of replacing plants 1 & 2 at the #2 Plant site.
The next GMA – 14 meeting is now set for 9:30 am on Tuesday October 5 at the Harris Galveston Subsidence District Office. This will be an in-person meeting. It will be the last opportunity for citizens to express their desire for the LSGCD to include a subsidence metric in the 2022 DFC.
Proposal to Consolidate MUD 1 and MUD 6
After months of review, the Boards of Directors of The Woodlands MUD 1 and Montgomery County MUD 6 have announced a proposal to consolidate the two MUDs into a new Municipal Utility District called The Woodlands Municipal District 3 (MUD 3). In accordance with Texas Water Code requirements, the two MUDs have agreed to put the proposed consolidation on the November 2, 2021 ballot for voters in each MUD district to decide. A majority of those who vote in each MUD is required for the consolidation to become effective, probably sometime early in 2022.
The proposed consolidation reflects that both MUDs have no debt, strong balance sheets, and no known deferred maintenance. Consolidation will reduce auditing, legal, and other administrative expenses. It will also reduce the number of MUD directors and Trustees that oversee the Woodlands Water Agency (WWA), by 5 and 1 respectively.
The proposed consolidation builds on the successful precedent of former MUD 2 and MUD 40 consolidating to form MUD 1 in 2016. It also could encourage future voluntary and orderly consolidations as MUDs in The Woodlands pay off their bond debt and reduce residents’ property tax burden.
If you would like to read the memorandum on the consolidation proposal, please go to the Grogan's Mill website under Bulletin Board.
The Woodlands Farmer's Market
The Woodlands Farmer's Market is the perfect place to pick up fresh produce, fresh foods, and a unique gift for a special person in your life. Stop by and check out the many new vendors that have joined the market. We welcome your four-legged friends too!
The 7 Stickers Sweepstakes is happening all month long! YOU could be our September winner! Stop by the information booth to find out how to enter this very easy sweepstakes and you could win $50 in market cash to spend at the market.
Vendors are listed every Friday in the weekly TWFM newsletter so you can plan your Saturday shopping. If you are not a subscriber, you can sign up here.
And don't forget to bring your batteries for recycling!