Government
BY ANGELA BONILLA, ATIRIKTA KUMAR & NICHAELA SHAHEEN
$70M allocated to county road bond projects Montgomery County commissioners have allocated almost $70 million to road bond projects, which is more than half of the rst $120 million issuance from the county’s $480 million road bond, according to an update presented during the Oct. 28 Commissioners Court meeting. The breakdown O cials said they are preparing for the next round of the bond issuance to provide more funding for road bond projects. Per the October nancial report, Precinct 2, which includes a small portion of the north side of The Woodlands area, has the largest allocation in the rst round of funding among the four precincts at $31 million. Precinct 3, which includes most of The Woodlands and south Montgomery County, has the second highest allocation at $17.6 million. As of October, the county reported $129 million in total income from the 2025 road bond pro- gram—$128 million in bond proceeds and about $1 million in interest earnings—according to the October nancial report. Plans advance for new court launch Montgomery County commissioners on Oct. 28 approved a plan for the addition of a new criminal district court, which is set to begin operations Sept. 1, 2026. The impact The proposal creates space for the incoming 523rd District Court while freeing up two additional courtrooms in the existing courthouse. The project will be funded through unspent money from the courts’ scal year 2025 operations budget, roughly $500,000, and the court facilities fund, o cials said.
New Montgomery County DA named
Funds used as of October
Precinct 2 Precinct 3* Precinct 4 Precinct 1
$31M
$17.6M
Gov. Greg Abbott
$15.7M
appointed a new Montgomery County district attorney on Oct. 29, according to a news release from the gover-
$4.5M
*INCLUDES MOST OF THE WOODLANDS
SOURCE: MONTGOMERY COUNTY COMMUNITY IMPACT
nor’s o ce. The details
Mike Holley
What they’re saying Budget O cer Amanda Carter recommended bringing the county’s nancial adviser, John Robuck, to the rst Commissioners Court meeting in December to discuss market conditions and the next bond issuance. Finance o cials con rmed the county is already in the process of making the next round of bond funds available in early 2026. How we got here Montgomery County voters approved the $480 million road bond in May, authorizing major transportation investments to address regional congestion and support growth across the county. This bond was the rst Montgomery County voters had considered in 10 years, and it will fund 76 projects across the four precincts.
Mike Holley, who was previously rst assistant district attorney, will serve as Montgomery County’s DA until Brett Ligon’s current term expires on Dec. 31, 2026, according to the release. Ligon resigned as the county’s district attorney on Oct. 2 to run for state Senate District 4 in the upcom- ing 2026 race. Holley will run for election in the county district attorney race in 2026, he told Community Impact. The background Holley has been a part of the county’s DA o ce since 2012, where he was a felony pros- ecutor and chief of the misdemeanor division.
Shenandoah approves 5-year utility rate increase The city of Shenandoah approved a utility rate increase for residential and commercial customers for the next ve years at its Oct. 22 meeting in a unanimous City Council vote. What to know month will pay an additional $3.80 per month under the tiered system, according to discussion at the meeting.
“The increase ... from 2020 to 2025 in terms of [utility] revenue is 2.5%, and part of that is good planning and being conservative,” City Engineer John Bleyl said. Zooming in The rate structure remains tiered so that higher-usage customers pay an increasingly higher amount. Bleyl said.
The proposed rate will cover rising operation and maintenance costs and costs for capital improvement projects for the next ve years, acting City Administrator Joseph Peart said. With the new ordinance approved Oct. 22, a residential customer using 3,000 gallons per
Comparing costs A study conducted by Shenandoah shows the 2025 average monthly residential costs for 7,000 gallons of water.
$112.98 $116.89
$102.15
$66.55
$60.75
W. DAVIS ST.
City of Shenandoah*
City of Montgomery
City of Oak Ridge North
City of Conroe
Rayford Road Municipal Utility District
*NEW RATE SOURCE: CITY OF SHENANDOAH COMMUNITY IMPACT
N. THOMPSON ST.
SIMONTON ST.
N
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THE WOODLANDS EDITION
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