CITY & COUNTY
News from Conroe & Montgomery County
HIGHLIGHTS CONROE Conroe approved a seventh cost increase of $377,316 for the construction of the Hyatt Regency Conroe Hotel and Convention Center on April 13. Director of Finance Collin Boothe said the total construction cost is up to about $108.57 million. According to previous reporting, the original budget was set around $99 million. Council Member Howard Wood voted against approving the contract revision, stating he committed to one contract, not seven amendments. MEETINGS WE COVER Montgomery County Commissioners Court will meet at 9:30 a.m. May 9 and 23. 501 N. Thompson St., Ste. 402, Conroe. 936-756-0571. www.mctx.org Conroe City Council will meet at 9:30 a.m. April 27 and 6 p.m. May 11. 300 W. Davis St., Conroe. 936-522-3010. www.cityofconroe.org Montgomery City Council will meet at 6 p.m. May 9 and 23. 101 Old Plantersville Road, Montgomery. 936-597-6434. www.montgomerytexas.gov
Property tax exemption increased for area residents age 65 and over
New Conroe fire Station 8 to serve FM 3083 area
Protest deadline for property appraisals approaches May 15
3083
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BY LIZZY SPANGLER
and determines whether appraisals will be altered. The preliminary value of new subdivisions in the county also rose, now at $1.7 billion, which is up from $1.47 billion in 2022, according to Jennings-Doyle’s presentation. “This is just on new subdivisions,”
Jennings-Doyle said. “This is not overall value. ... That gives you a glimpse of how well we are growing.” In August and September, the county’s taxing entities will set rates, and property owners will start receiving tax bills for the next tax year in October.
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MONTGOMERY COUNTY Montgomery County saw a 31.4% growth in its appraisal values in the past five years, Montgomery County Chief Appraiser Janet Jennings-Doyle said during a property tax workshop April 5. Property owners have until May 15 to protest their 2023 appraisal values with the appraisal district. The appraisal review board hears protests
PRESSWOOD DR.
BY LIZZY SPANGLER
SITE OF FIRE STATION NO. 8
SAVINGS FOR SENIORS
MONTGOMERY COUNTY Resi- dents age 65 and older who already have a homestead exemption will now be able to claim a $50,000 exemption after the Montgomery County Commissioners Court approved raising it from $35,000 during its March 28 meeting. “What you have before you is an analysis of increasing the over [age] 65 [exemption] from $35,000 to $50,000,” Tax Assessor-Collector Tammy McRae said during the item discussion. “And you can see it’s a savings to the taxpayer[s] of approx- imately $2.7 million. This is based on the 2022 data.” McRae said the county has just over 49,500 accounts for residents over age 65. Residents can apply for the age 65 and over exemption by way of their homestead exemption.
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BY PEYTON MACKENZIE
CONROE The Conroe Fire Department is projected to break ground in May on its Station No. 8. Station 8 was approved by the city in the fiscal year 2022-23 bud- get. Mike Legoudes, assistant fire chief for the Conroe Fire Depart- ment, said the new station will be located at FM 3083 and Presswood Drive. A permit was filed in late March with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation for the project. Legoudes said the department is in the process of hiring 15 fire- fighters; there will be a minimum of four firefighters on shift at Station 8. “The area is primarily served by stations 2 and 3, which have some of the higher call volumes
Residents of Montgomery County can apply for an age 65 and over exemption via their homestead exemption and will see an increase after a March 28 vote.
for the whole department,” Legoudes said. “So [Station 8] is going to take a big chunk of that territory and lighten the load on station[s] 2 and 3.” Legoudes said the station cost has increased $1 million from the initial projected cost, leaving the anticipated cost to be $6.5 mil- lion. The station is tentatively projected to open by June 2024, Legoudes said. “With Fire Station 8, we’re filling a gap in the area needing coverage. We’re continuing to serve our community by providing the best firefighters Conroe has to offer and exceeding our citizen’s expectations,” Mayor Jody Cza- jkoski said in a statement.
Property owners can contact the Montgomery Central Appraisal District to protest their appraisal values by May 15 .
Call 936-756-3354. Visit www.mcad-tx.org.
Montgomery County residents 65 and over: $35,000 EXEMPTION raised to $50,000 EXEMPTION A total savings of $2.7 MILLION A homestead exemption reduces the home value on which taxpayers pay property tax.
Montgomery County precincts to receive $5 million in ARPA funds
Commissioner James Noack said during the meeting when asked what projects would qualify. “We had a storm sewer fail on Rayford Road—we had to go in and spend a couple of $100,000 on rebuilding that.” Noack also said he has neighborhoods where there is nobody to take care of storm sewers, so the ARPA funds could be used for one-time maintenance on those. “I think it’s a great opportunity,” Noack said. “I’m glad that the committee is going to allocate those funds for us.” Projects using these allocated funds will still require approval of the Commissioners Court before starting, according to the agenda.
BY LIZZY SPANGLER
MONTGOMERY COUNTY Each of the four Montgom- ery County commissioner precincts will receive $5 million in federal American Rescue Plan funding following approval from the Montgomery County Commissioners Court at its March 28 meeting. “For us, it was, like, roadside drainage issues,” Precinct 3
SOURCE: MONTGOMERY COUNTY/ COMMUNITY IMPACT
CONROE 1304 W Davis (936) 539-8787 NORTH CONROE 18434 Hwy 105 W (936) 582-5410
MONTGOMERY PLAZA 1420 N Loop 336 W (936) 441-7161
WILLIS 9618 FM 1097 (936) 228-0385
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