CITY & COUNTY
News from Oak Ridge North, Shenandoah & The Woodlands
HIGHLIGHTS OAK RIDGE NORTH On June 26 City Council took a vote of lack of confidence in its municipal judge, Bill Pattillo, and appointed a new judge, Amanda Webb. The decision took place following an executive session without additional comment. MONTGOMERY COUNTY At its June 27 meeting, Montgomery County Commissioners Court voted to extend for 30 days the disaster declaration issued June 22 following heavy storms.
Shenandoah plans capital projects for FY 2023-24
The Woodlands Township approves new 3% homestead exemption
Oak Ridge North approves $3.46M for public works building
The Woodlands waives applications for storm-related repairs through Sept. 30
EXEMPTIONS INCREASED
All homeowners in The Woodlands will see a decease in the taxable amount of their property value. A homestead exemption removes some or all of a home’s value from being taxed. As of June 28, The Woodlands Township approved: General residence exemption: 3% of home’s value Age 65 and older and disabled persons exemption: $50,000 off the home’s value
BY VANESSA HOLT
WAIVERS IN EFFECT Severe storms in
BY VANESSA HOLT
BY VANESSA HOLT
THE WOODLANDS Residents who saw storm damage in June will not need to go through the application and preapproval process for repairs relating to safety and well-being, The Woodlands Township announced on June 27. Normally, residents must go through the Residential Design Review Committees and Development Standards Committee for work such as tree removal or fence replacement. However, through Sept. 30 the appli- cation and approval process will be waived for work that needs to be done immediately as a result of the storm. “This is being done to assist residents in making necessary repairs and tree removals as soon as possi- ble,” Chief Operating Officer Chris Nunes said. As of Oct. 1, property owners will need to submit the required applica- tions and perform inspections.
township, and a total of 56% of taxable properties in the township qualify for a homestead exemption, according to the township. President and CEO Monique Sharp said previous boards opted for lower tax rates instead of home- stead exemptions. “A lot of this gets down to what the board wants its tax philosophy to be in terms of providing tax relief. ... The past philosophy has been this community thrives when our business community thrives; that is why whenever we have been able to lower [taxes] ... it has been to all taxpayers,” Sharp said. The property tax rate in The Woodlands Township for the 2023 fiscal year, which runs from January to December, was $0.185 per $100 valuation, and the owner of a home valued at the township average, $500,000, pays $925, or 10% of their
THE WOODLANDS The township board of directors approved a resolution raising its property tax exemption for residents with dis- abilities and residents who are age 65 and older at its June 28 meeting. It also approved a 3% homestead exemption, a first for the township. The property tax exemption for homeowners who are age 65 and older or disabled will be increased to $50,000. Last year, The Woodlands Township raised the exemption for homeowners age 65 and older or disabled from $25,000 to $40,000. The township did not previously have a homestead exemption. A homestead exemption lowers the amount of tax paid on a property used as a primary residence. Each 5% of exemption is a $1.4 million reduction in revenue to the
OAK RIDGE NORTH A $3.46 million bid for the Oak Ridge North police station and public works building project was approved by City Council at the June 26 meeting. The city will move its existing police building from Robinson Road to a planned new public works building on Spectrum Way, according to information from the city. The new facility will also provide space for additional officers, according to city officials. The cost of construction will not include the nearly $300,000 previously approved for the relocation, officials said. The low bidder was CSB Contractors, and the project will take about 35 weeks, said James Corn, the city’s director of public works.
BY CASSANDRA JENKINS
June caused damage to many properties in The Woodlands. Residents can repair that damage without immediately completing the approval process. Until Sept. 30, the following changes will be implemented: • Compliance deposits will be waived. • Hazardous trees can be removed without an arborist report or application. • A temporary pool barrier should be erected for properties with pools and fence damage. Application forms are available online at www.thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov.
SHENANDOAH The city of Shenan- doah held a joint meeting with its Municipal Development District on June 28 to discuss capital projects and purchases for fiscal year 2023-24. As of June 28, the total funding requested for projects for 2023-24 is $2.86 million. The largest project would replace parking at City Hall and add police department fencing. It includes $1.8 million to replace the asphalt parking lot, parking lights and drain- age system for the City Hall parking lot. The project also includes security fencing, cameras and a gate. In addition, $675,000 is slated for increasing stormwater collection capacity at the Vision Park Detention Pond, and $250,000 is set aside for asbestos cement pipe replacement.
The disaster declaration is now set to expire July 27.
MEETINGS WE COVER
The Woodlands Township board of directors will meet at 6 p.m. July 26 at
2802 Technology Forest Blvd., The Woodlands. 281-210-3800. www.thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov Shenandoah City Council will meet at 7 p.m. July 26 at 29955 I-45 N., Shenandoah. 281-298-5522.www.shenandoahtx.us
SOURCE: THE WOODLANDS TOWNSHIP/ COMMUNITY IMPACT
overall tax bill, to the township. Another new revenue stream in the township will be mixed bev- erage sales tax collections, made possible through House Bill 5311, a piece of legislation that will go into effect Sept. 1.
Oak Ridge North City Council will meet at 7 p.m. July 24 at 27424 Robinson Road, Oak Ridge North. 281-292-4648. www.oakridgenorth.com
SOURCE: THE WOODLANDS TOWNSHIP/ COMMUNITY IMPACT
THE WOODLANDS 10491 Kuykendahl (281) 681-9110 FM 1488 3588 FM 1488 (936) 271-9606
RAYFORD SAWDUST 25044 IH 45 (281) 362-9131 OAK RIDGE NORTH 27490 IH 45 N (281) 296-6000
GOSLING ROAD SPRING 24527 Gosling Rd (281) 516-9404
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