The Woodlands non-annexation deal has been approved by City Council.
Houston will not annex The Woodlands under a deal approved unanimously by City Council on Wednesday.
Woodlands residents still have three propositions related to the agreement on the Nov. 6 ballot. But Wednesday’s council vote was a critical step toward ensuring the future political independence of the master-planned community of 85,000.
”It’s a landmark deal,” Woodlands resident Barry Millenson said. ”This has never been done before.”
State Sen. Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands, said the deal would become a blueprint for other cities looking for alternatives to annexation.
“It’s a win-win for both communities,” Williams said. “The Woodlands gets to decide what its future governance looks like.”
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Woodlands residents have begun early voting on three ballot propositions related to the area’s future. If approved, two of the propositions would expand the boundaries of the existing Town Center Improvement District to include all of the Woodlands and would change the membership of the district’s current board from 11 elected and appointed members to seven elected members.
Both propositions must pass for the regional participation agreement to be carried out.
The third proposition, if approved, would enable the special district to levy a property tax. The proposition is optional and is not required to pass for the agreement to take effect.
The issue has brought early voters out in high numbers. As of 4 p.m. Tuesday, the second day of early voting, a little more than 1,000 people in The Woodlands had voted on the community propositions, said Carol Gaultney, Montgomery County’s election administrator.
Woodlands resident Hartley Mackintosh,who had just voted, could hardly contain his enthusiasm Wednesday afternoon when told the agreement had been approved.
”Oh, that’s wonderful,” he said. ”I’ve been waiting and waiting and waiting. We have had very competent community leaders working on this for years. There are doers and doubters and the doers made this happen.”
James Hale, who was leaving the same polling site, was more subdued, but pleased both parties approved the agreement. ”I think it is the right decision but there are still a lot of unanswered questions that are in the details,” Hale said. The 10-year resident said he voted for the propositions because he did not want The Woodlands to go through a bitter annexation battle similar to Kingwood.
Resident Joe Merrill, who opposes the propositions, said he still is not convinced the agreement is the path the community should take to incorporation.
”On Nov. 6 The Woodlands should get what they wanted during the Governance Steering Committee forums, a vote to become The City of The Woodlands, nothing more, nothing less,” he said. “I will be voting no, no, no.”
As I said before, strictly from a Houston perspective, I’m happy with this deal. It’s sensible and I think provides reasonable compensation to Houston for the loss of its annexation power. I’d be wary of further deals, though not necessarily opposed if the conditions were right. But I don’t think this is a precedent setter. The Woodlands is unique, and I think it was appropriate to treat it as a special case. More from Inside the Woodlands and Miya.