Vote no on incorporating The Woodlands
Nearly 50 years after George Mitchell charted the masterplanned community that is The Woodlands, an inevitable fight has broken out beneath the tall trees 28 miles north of Houston over how to best protect the founder’s vision of suburban utopia.
In a 5-2 vote Aug.13, the board of Texas’ only “township” decided to put incorporation on this fall’s ballot. If passed, The Woodlands — beloved by residents for low taxes, low crime, green parks and good schools — would become an incorporated city.
Supporters say it’s time for The Woodlands’ residents to fully govern themselves, electing a mayor and a city council who can draft a charter, pass noise ordinances and zoning rules, and establish a dedicated police force so the community doesn’t have to depend on Harris and Montgomery counties for law enforcement.
Township board chair Gordy Bunch told us The Woodlands, because it’s not a city, is missing out on as much as $30 million in COVID relief funds — and that Montgomery County hasn’t properly shared.
Opponents ask “If it ain’t broke, why fix it?” The unusual governance system is central to what makes The Woodlands appealing to families and businesses. According to Niche, an online site that ranks schools, communities and workplaces, it’s the best city to live in America in 2021, despite it not technically even being a city yet.
Montgomery County Precinct 3 Commissioner James Noack and several law enforcement leaders have come out against incorporation, warning of a disruption in policing and higher costs. The Howard Hughes Corp., The Woodlands’ largest developer, has blanketed the area with signs in a well-funded anti-incorporation campaign.
The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce is also opposed and though we talked with a few fervent supporters, we couldn’t find evidence of a groundswell of public backing. It’s been hard for residents to get information they can trust, with each side accusing the other of doctoring numbers and leaving out data to suit their cause.
It’s unclear to residents we talked to, and to us, how daily life in The Woodlands would really change with incorporation — and more importantly, if it would improve. The township — whose board is elected, albeit at-large, without distinct districts — already uses local tax revenue to provide some services and contracts out others, such as trash pickup.
But running a full-fledged city — including having a direct role in roads and other infrastructure and establishing a police department from scratch — is different. The question isn’t whether costs will go up for residents but how much.
No one we talked to could say for sure. And that’s a problem. Township board members say they have a plan to keep the tax rate consistent over the first few years but their critics say they’ve seriously underestimated the startup costs of incorporation.
Eventually, incorporation may well be the best option for this growing community whose need for autonomy, efficiency, transparency and influence over its own destiny will only increase.
But the current effort feels hasty. While incorporation has been the topic of conversations and public meetings and research for years, the decision isn’t something that should be rushed through in a low-turnout election in a year where distractions, including the pandemic, abound.
Federal funding, which isn’t guaranteed even if incorporation passes, isn’t enough reason to embark now on an irreversible journey. As for the looming threat of forced annexation, an agreement with surrounding jurisdictions blocks it until 2057 and chances of it happening at all are diminished by state legislation requiring voter approval.
The good news is this ballot item got people talking and opened their eyes to the prospect of incorporation. Independent studies on finances and quality of life are needed to inform the public. So is a campaign that truly prioritizes voter outreach and education.
As one resident told us, “We only have one shot at getting this right.”
This just doesn’t seem to be it. We recommend Woodlands residents vote against incorporation.