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Montgomery County voters are about to decide on a $280 million bond issue to pay for road improvements. There’s an extensive project list. It includes things like a new bridge on Gosling Road and improvements to a portion of Woodlands Parkway.
But in one of the fastest-growing counties in the country, will the money be enough? According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Montgomery County’s population grew close to 14% between 2010 and 2014.
County Judge Craig Doyal says the plan is to go back before voters in 2018 with another $70 million dollar proposal.
“Three years from now, if the economy stays strong, it may be more than $70 million,” says Doyal. “If the need is still there, and I’m certain it will be, based on all the projections we have.”
Doyal says Montgomery County could also see more funding if voters statewide approve Proposition 7, which would redirect revenue from the motor vehicle sales tax.
“This bond issue would give us money to leverage against those state dollars, to maybe attract more of those state dollars into Montgomery County, in partnering with TxDOT,” says Doyal.
Supporters of the bond issue hope they have better luck than they did back in May, when a 350 million dollar package was defeated after heavy opposition from the Texas Patriots PAC.
The new bond issue came about county leaders reached agreement with the PAC. But a Montgomery County grand jury is now investigating whether officials broke the state’s Open Meetings Law in reaching that agreement.
