NUMBER TOKNOW Tomball City Manager David Esquivel told City Council members at a March 7 workshop meeting that needed public works projects are projected to total $122 million over the next three years, including new sta ; more eet vehicles; new equipment; and developing new master plans for departments, such as drainage and parks. $122M MONTGOMERY COUNTY The Montgomery County Public Health District announced March 11 it would no longer provide weekly reports on COVID-19 activity. All data collected will continue to be available through the Texas Department of State Health Services’ website, however, MCPHD ocials said in an email. COUNTY HIGHLIGHTS HARRIS COUNTY Harris County lowered its COVID-19 threat level from Level 2 to Level 3 on March 10. The lowering was put into e ect by Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo due to the declining number of cases and hospitalizations. Level 3 signi es a moderate but controlled level of the virus. Tomball City Council will meet April 4 and 18 at 401 Market St., Tomball. 281-351-5484 • www.tomballtx.gov Magnolia City Council will meet April 12 at 18111 Buddy Riley Blvd., Magnolia. 281-356-2266. www.cityofmagnolia.com Montgomery Commissioners Court will meet March 29 and April 12 at 501 N. Thompson St., Ste. 402, Conroe. 936-756-0571 • www.mctx.org Harris County Commissioners Court will meet April 5 virtually and at 1001 Preston St., Ste. 934, Houston. https://agenda.harriscountytx.gov MEETINGSWE COVER
Court removes payroll duties fromcounty treasurer MONTGOMERY COUNTY Commissioners removed Treasurer Melanie Bush’s payroll-related duties at a March 8 Commissioners Court meeting after several county employees reported payroll errors. Bush will remain the county’s treasurer. BY JISHNU NAIR County commissioners voted March 8 to remove payroll duties from the county treasurer position held by Melanie Bush. SHIFTING PAYROLL DUTIES
Commissioners will establish a new payroll department to be headed by former County Auditor Phyllis Martin, according to the motion made by Precinct 3 Commissioner James Noack. Precinct 4 Commissioner James Metts seconded the motion, which passed 4-1. County Judge Mark Keough was the only opposing vote. Commissioners did not hold a public discussion on the proposal and declined to comment on the decisions. In an emailed statement, Bush said she was “disap- pointed” by the Commissioners Court’s decision. “I am disappointed that Commissioners Court made the decision they did that will end up costing the tax- payers more money with the creation of a whole new department,” Bush said. “That the comments of experts in implementations and payroll as well as citizens of this county were not listened to saddens me the most.” Bush was rst elected in 2018 and previously served as president of the Conroe ISD board of trustees. Noack said prior to his motion that multiple employees had reported inconsistencies with their paychecks and W-2 forms. “So many of these issues, if better checks and balances
A new payroll department will be created.
Former County Auditor Phyllis Martin will head the new department.
Melanie Bush
The motion passed 4-1 with County Judge Mark Keough opposing.
SOURCE: MONTGOMERY COUNTY COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
were in place, our employees could have a better time with their paychecks,” Noack said. Bush said issues with W-2 forms stemmed from employ- ees not understanding their forms, while issues with payroll were rooted in the payment system, and following an initial report from the 284th District Court judge’s o ce, there have been no additional paycheck issues. County Attorney B.D. Gri n told Community Impact Newspaper that the commissioners did have the authority to create a new payroll department, but commissioners will have to name their funding sources. Keough said the department will be “cost neutral” to the county but declined to answer further questions.
City sees contested mayoral, council races
overall, no council races have been contested since 2014. Incumbent Gretchen Fagan, who was rst elected in May 2007, and Lori Klein Quinn are running for mayor. Klein Quinn, who was elected to council in May 2014, announced in January she would step down from her position on council to run for mayor in the May 7 election. The council member who is elected for Position 5 will ful ll the rest of Klein Quinn’s term, which expires in 2023, Community Impact Newspaper
previously reported. Position 5 candidates include Randy Parr, who retired as re chief last spring, and Matthew Martinez, according to candidate ling informa- tion from the city. Position 3 candidates include incumbent Chad Degges, Sheryl Mar- tinez and Dane Dunagin, according to city information. Early voting is from April 25-29 and May 2-3 at City Hall, located at 401 Market St., Tomball. The general election is May 7 at City Hall.
BY KAYLI THOMPSON
TOMBALL The race for Tomball mayor and City Council positions 3 and 5 are contested on the May 7 ballot, according to candidate ling information from the city. The city of Tomball has not had a contested mayoral race since 2010, the city’s election register shows, and
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TOMBALL MAGNOLIA EDITION • MARCH 2022
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