Government
BY ATIRIKTA KUMAR
$24.3M in federal funds slated for new buses The Woodlands Township board of directors on Nov. 19 accepted a proposal for the purchase of new commuter buses for The Woodlands Express transit program. In a nutshell The Woodlands will get new commuter buses, made by Motor Coach Industries, in September 2026, according to the contract. The new fleet costs approximately $24.3 million, which is within the $25 million budget allocated for the purchase of a new commuter bus fleet, said Ruthanne Haut, the director of transportation for The Woodlands Township. The entire cost for a new fleet is covered through federal funding from the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Adminis- tration by means of the regional Carry Over Spend Down program via the Houston-Galveston Area Council, Haut said. The details The new fleet will come wrapped in The Wood- lands transit logo, and that cost is included in the total, Haut said. Local races set for 2026 primaries Candidate filing data from the Texas Secretary of State’s office shows 19 people have filed to run for county-level offices in Montgomery County. The details Dec. 8 was the last day for candidates to file to run in the March 3 primary election, per the Texas Secretary of State’s website. Here are several contested races in Mont- gomery County for the Republican primary. This list is not comprehensive. • County judge: Mark Keough (incumbent), Wayne Mack • County commissioner, Precinct 2: Bob Harvey, Charlie Riley (incumbent) • Justice of the peace, Precinct 3: Jay Mac Sanders (incumbent), Brittany Gable-Hale
County mental health facility work proceeds Montgomery County commissioners on Nov. 18 approved $117,500 for engineering services to expand the Montgomery County Mental Health Treatment Facility. What you need to know The expansion, which began Aug. 18, is possible through a portion of $50 million awarded to Montgomery County in 2023 the Texas Health and Human Services’ Mental Health Inpatient Facility Grant Program. The facility serves justice-involved individuals. The expansion will increase the facility’s capacity by 100 beds and will be completed by early 2027, officials said.
The new fleet will include:
A heating, ventilation and air conditioning system with 50% more cooling capacity
Footrests
Outlets
Flushing toilets
Visual displays and electronic stop announcements
SOURCE: THE WOODLANDS TOWNSHIP/COMMUNITY IMPACT
The new buses will run the current routes to downtown Houston, the Texas Medical Center, Greenway Plaza and the Energy Corridor. Next steps The township will continue using approximately 12-14 of the older buses as a reserve fleet, Haut said. This will help lower the annual cost of the express service by allowing the township to not use any contractor-owned buses for reserve vehicles, Haut said. The board has until the summer to decide what to do with the existing fleet, Haut said. State funds sought for historical courthouse Montgomery County commissioners are explor- ing options to advance the county’s historical courthouse master plan. Meeting highlights In February, commissioners discussed several options for a new courthouse and are looking into a grant to renovate the historical courthouse, county officials said. A master plan for the courthouse is almost 50% completed, including the historical and architec- tural research, said Jason Smith, deputy chief of staff for Montgomery County Judge Mark Keough. Smith said he is meeting with the Texas Histor- ical Commission to get feedback on which parts of the Montgomery County Courthouse at 301 N. Main St., Conroe, would qualify for funding. Smith did not specify the amount the county needs from the state legislature.
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A courthouse has to be at least 50 years old to be eligible for funding through the legislature, according to the Texas Historical Commission website. The courthouse was built in 1936 and was renovated in the 1960s to add wings, Smith said. In 1978, a second story was added to the courthouse wings. As it stands, the entire courthouse will be eligible for the grant in 2028, but only the part of the courthouse renovated in the 1960s is eligible now, Smith said.
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THE WOODLANDS EDITION
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