CITY & COUNTY
News from Conroe, Montgomery & Montgomery County
NUMBER TO KNOW $73.3 billion Montgomery County’s certi ed property values have increased each year since 2018 as the county’s property tax rate has decreased. The taxable value in the county has increased from $46.19 billion in 2018 to $73.3 billion in 2022, according to county information. CITY HIGHLIGHT MONTGOMERY Patricia Easley was sworn into Montgomery City Council at a regular meeting July 12 by Mayor Byron Sanford to ll a vacancy for Position 5, which became vacant when Sanford— who previously lled Position 5— was elected mayor in May. According to Easley, she was born and raised in the Montgomery area, and after graduating from Sam Houston State University, she worked in the corporate world in Houston before returning to Montgomery in 2000. “Progress is inevitable; we can’t stop it; and a lot of it is good,” Easley said. “But we’ve got to make sure that the citizens have a good quality of life and that the citizens are considered in every decision that’s made.” MEETINGS WE COVER Montgomery County Commissioners Court Will meet at 9:30 a.m. Aug. 23 and Sept. 13. 501 N. Thompson St., Ste. 402, Conroe. 936-756-0571. www.mctx.org Conroe City Council Will meet at 9:30 a.m. Aug. 25 and 6 p.m. Sept. 8. 300 W. Davis St.,
County proposes nearly $0.03 drop in FY 2022 23 tax rate
BY JISHNU NAIR
DECLINING TAX RATE Montgomery County’s adopted tax rates have declined since 2018, with the proposed 2022-23 tax rate set to continue the trend.
MONTGOMERY COUNTY The county will propose a tax rate of $0.3764 per $100 of taxable property to fund its scal year 2022-23 budget following an Aug. 9 Commissioners Court session. Because the rate is above the county’s no-new-revenue tax rate, there is a public hearing scheduled for Aug. 26. Montgomery County’s property tax rate has decreased annually since 2018, according to county information. According to Budget O cer Amanda Carter, increases to law enforcement personnel under the Montgomery County Sheri ’s O ce and justices of the peace as well as a 5% countywide pay raise contributed to the proposed tax rate exceeding the no-new-revenue rate of $0.3312. Carter also cited lower revenues than the previous year as another reason for the tax rate with county courts still facing backlogs due to the pandemic. According to the Texas comptroller’s o ce, the no-new-revenue rate would produce the same amount
$0.50
$0.4667
$0.4312 $0.4475
$0.40
$0.4083
$0.3764
$0.30
0
2018-19 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23*
SOURCE: MONTGOMERY COUNTY TAX OFFICE COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER *PROPOSED
of property tax revenue if applied to the same properties taxed in both years. Montgomery County has adopted tax rates either equal to or lower than the no-new-revenue rate since 2019, according to the county’s tax rate history. The county’s FY 2021-22 tax rate is $0.4083.
County extends burn ban amid re risk
Conroe terminates city administrator; CFO resigns
the city for more than 25 years, and Williams served as CFO for 17 years, according to his LinkedIn pro le. During a phone inter-
BY JISHNU NAIR
MONTGOMERY COUNTY Commissioners voted unanimously for a 90-day extension of the coun- ty’s burn ban Aug. 2. The ban can be terminated earlier if conditions improve. As of press time Aug. 16, the ban was still in place. County Fire Marshal Jimmy Williams also reiterated the county’s greater preparedness for wild res, describing the available stations as a “network” compared to 2011, when severe wild res struck Montgomery County. “We’re better prepared than we were [in 2011],” he said.
BY PEYTON MACKENZIE
CONROE At a meeting Aug. 11, Conroe City Council terminated a contract with City Administrator Paul Virgadamo Jr. and accepted the resignation of Chief Financial O cer Steve Williams with whom council was also set to vote on terminating a contract. The vote was 3-2 with Council Members Harry Hardman, Howard Wood and Marsha Porter supporting the motion. Porter and Wood placed the items on the agenda. Virgadamo said he worked for
Paul Virgadamo Jr.
view Aug. 6, Virgadamo said he was unaware of any discussion regarding his termination. During an Aug. 10 workshop, Porter, Hardman and Wood said their desire to terminate Virgadamo was related to a lack of communication between Virgadamo and the council. An interim city administrator had not been appointed as of Aug. 16.
Conroe. 936-522-3010. www.cityofconroe.org Montgomery City Council Will meet at 6 p.m. Aug. 23
and Sept. 13. 101 Old Plantersville Road, Montgomery. 936-597-6434. www.montgomerytexas.gov
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CONROE MONTGOMERY EDITION • AUGUST 2022
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