CITY HIGHLIGHT CONROE City Council approved selling 3.216 acres of land at East Semands Avenue and North Ninth Street to local nonprofit Angel Reach during City Council’s May 26 meeting. The city approved selling the land for $500 to serve youth aging out of the foster care system. According to an offer letter, Angel Reach plans to use the property for a second phase of Angel Reach Village, a housing development underway with 16 duplexes in the first phase for those who have aged out of foster care. MEETINGS WE COVER Montgomery County Commissioners Court Will meet at 9:30 a.m. June 28 and July 12 • 501 N. Thompson St., Ste. 402, Conroe • 936-756-0571 www.mctx.org Conroe City Council Will meet 9:30 a.m. June 23 and 6 p.m. July 14 • 300 W. Davis St., Conroe • 936-522-3010 www.cityofconroe.org Montgomery City Council Will meet at 6 p.m. June 28 and July 12 • 101 Old Plantersville Road, Montgomery • 936-597-6434 www.montgomerytexas.gov
County rejects appraisal district budget increase proposal MONTGOMERY COUNTY Com- missioners voted unanimously to reject a proposed budget increase to the Montgomery Central Appraisal District, the entity responsible for appraising property values in the county, at a May 24 Commissioners Court meeting. The appraisal district’s board of directors, a separate entity from the turnover due to lower pay. MCAD Chair Bruce Tough spoke at the meeting’s public comment section, emphasiz- ing employees were moving to other county appraisal districts. Tough cited a 2020 study the appraisal district conducted, showing its pay was at 67% of the market standard. BY JISHNU NAIR BUDGET INCREASE The Montgomery Central Appraisal District’s request for a budget increase was denied by county commissioners May 24. With the county’s denial, MCAD requested a 23.8% increase to its 2022-23 budget.
51% of the county’s taxing jurisdictions must approve the increase.
Commissioners Court, voted to approve the proposed budget at a May 19 meet- ing, according to Chief Appraiser Tony Belinoski. For the proposal to move forward, 51% of the county’s taxing jurisdictions, which include cities, municipal utility districts, and school districts, must approve. Taxing units individually contribute to the MCAD’s budget, Belinoski told Community Impact Newspaper . The proposal would have increased the district’s FY 2022-23 budget by 23.8%, according to documents submitted to Commissioners Court. MCAD officials cited increasing staff
“This budget is trying to retain employees and hire new employees to handle an increasing [population],” Tough said. Documents submitted to
SOURCE: MONTGOMERY
COUNTY/COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
Riley, who previously served with the MCAD, called the request “a hard number.” “I do understand the challenges, but that’s a big number,” Riley said. “I hope there’s a way that you all can do better because I don’t see how we can support that.” Belinoski confirmed the district was working on “backup plans” should the budget increase not pass.
court showed the appraisal district, which is budgeted for 100 positions, has 14 vacancies and has not received an increase in its positions since 2017. Precinct 3 Commissioner James Noack said inflation and uncertainty over appraisals made it difficult to greenlight a budget increase at this time. Precinct 2 Commissioner Charlie
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CONROE - MONTGOMERY EDITION • JUNE 2022
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