Government
BY SARAH BRAGER & NICHAELA SHAHEEN
County OKs new appointment structure for ESDs
Tomball moves to buy Main Street property Tomball City Council moved March 2 to ratify a contract to purchase property at 213 W. Main St., a move city officials said would give Tomball control of the fully connected building next to its community and information center. The gist During discussion, Mayor Lori Klein Quinn said the building is directly connected to the city’s community and information center and that the purchase would allow “the entire building to be able to be used.” According to the agenda packet, the item was brought forward by the city manager’s office with a recommendation for approval, and states the purchase would be funded through the city’s fund balance rather than an already designated budget line. Staff did not pub-
Montgomery County Commissioners Court approved a new appointment structure March 5 for emergency services district boards that span more than one commissioner precinct. In a nutshell A move officials said is meant to add consistency to how those boards are filled, it passed in a 4-1 vote after the commissioners discussed oversight, accountability and who should help shape boards that make high-stakes public safety decisions. The change affects how the county fills boards that govern local ESDs, which oversee fire and emergency response operations and, in some cases, manage budgets that rival or exceed county department budgets. Precinct 4 Commissioner Matt Gray, who brought the item forward, said the county has lacked a formal structure for these appointments and argued the new model would spread responsibility instead of leaving influence concentrated with one person. What they’re saying Precinct 2 Commissioner Charlie Riley pushed back on the idea of the county judge appointing someone to an ESD board in another commission- er’s precinct, saying he was not comfortable with someone selecting a board member in his area who “may not even know” the people or local issues. Riley also questioned whether the change would County to consider funding for programs Harris County commissioners will review the future of several county programs created with funding from the American Rescue Plan Act. Some context Harris County received a one-time $915 million grant from the federal government in 2021, which must be used by Dec. 31. Latest update Commissioners Court’s Feb. 26 decision directed staff to consider nine programs and services in the FY 2026-27 budget. The action does not guarantee all nine programs will be included in the next general fund.
New ESD board appointment process
Vacancy on multi-precinct board (5 total seats)
1 seat selected by county judge
4 seats selected by county commissioner whose precinct is in that district
2+2 seats If an ESD is in two precincts: Each respective commissioner gets to select two positions
All 5 appointees Final appointments require approval from the full court
SOURCE: MONTGOMERY COUNTY/ COMMUNITY IMPACT
solve any real problem, saying commissioners are already required by law to appoint the boards but do not control what those boards ultimately do. County Judge Mark Keough said he wanted more input because emergency management falls under his office, and county emergency officials are closely involved with ESD operations and disaster response.
licly outline a more detailed long-term use for the property beyond allowing the city to use the entire connected building.
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Commissioners discuss May 2 election sites
Montgomery County commissioners on March 5 approved updates tied to the May 2 election, as well as discussed staffing shortages. What happened Precinct 3 Commissioner Ritch Wheeler asked the court to remove the Kevin Brady Community Center as an early voting location in exchange for adding the George and Cynthia Woods Mitchell Library as part of the May 2 joint election preparations. Wheeler said because of last-minute location changes during the March 3 primaries, voters were left searching for the right polling site. Diving deeper He said that staffing may be the biggest strain on local elections heading into May 2, with officials saying the county is struggling to fill the poll worker roles.
Dates to know April 2: Last day to register to vote April 20: First day of early voting April 20: Last day to apply for ballot by mail (received, not postmarked) April 28: Last day of early voting May 2: Election day
SOURCE: TEXAS SECRETARY OF STATE/COMMUNITY IMPACT
Wheeler said the county’s staffing shortfall is also shaping how it uses its elections contractor. He said the county pays the vendor for administrative support, but still has to find workers on its own. What’s next Commissioners approved the order to consolidate county election precincts for the May 2 election.
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TOMBALL - MAGNOLIA EDITION
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