NEWS BRIEFS
Groundwater board seat for The Woodlands remains open
A Harris County Toll Road Authority program that will reduce the cost of tolls by 10% was approval unanimously by Harris County commissioners Jan. 31. The discount will represent $894 million in discounts over the course of 10 years, Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey said Jan. 31. The rate reduction will go into e ect by Sept. 4. HCTRA will also provide up to eight free EZ TAGS per household as part of the program. “This gives us con dence in what [HCTRA is] doing,” Ramsey said. “When you look at the consistent revenues that they generate, when you look at their ability to cover what they do, I think we are, in many ways, an envy of the state, in terms of how well we run our toll road authority.” HCTRA Director Roberto Treviño on Jan. 24 said the 10% discount would apply to those driving two-axle vehicles, which he said make up 95% of HCTRA’s transactions. He added that drivers can choose to apply the discount on each individual transaction, or after aggregating transactions on a monthly basis. As part of the transition to all-electronic tollways, the county will phase in several options for residents to obtain EZ TAGs at retail stores and through cash-backed accounts. HCTRA authorizes 10% toll rate cut BY RACHEL CARLTON & EMILY LINCKE
BY VANESSA HOLT
was also a board member for a munic- ipal utility district, Community Impact previously reported. At the Dec. 13 swearing-in meeting of the LSGCD board of directors, Position 7 was left vacant by the board. Subsequently, The Woodlands Water Agency sent a letter to LSGCD on Jan. 13 requesting the appointment of Yoars to the groundwater district board pending his resignation from the Municipal Utility District No. 36 board of directors. The agency oversees 10 municipal utility districts in The Woodlands. Jim Stinson, general manager of The Woodlands Water Agency, said that res- ignation was submitted and approved on Jan. 18. LSGCD responded in a Jan. 23 letter it is following the advice of counsel to ll the seat in compliance with Texas law. Jessica Shorten contributed to this report.
FILLING A SEAT There is no deadline by which the Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District seat must be lled.
A position has been left open on the Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District board of directors since a winner in the Nov. 8 election was deemed ineligible to be sworn in, and the district board said it will consider a list of appointees for the slot. Samantha Reiter, general manager of Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District, said there is no deadline to ll the seat, and the district will consider a list of candidates for the position. “The district ... has a process in place for considering the potential appoin- tees,” Reiter said in a Jan. 26 email. John Yoars won the Nov. 8 election to Position 7 on the LSGCD board of directors, serving The Woodlands Township, with 51.56% of the vote. On Dec. 9, Yoars received a letter from the district’s legal counsel claiming he was not eligible to be sworn in because he
John Yoars wins Position 7 seat
Nov. 8
LSGCD advises Yoars he is not eligible to be sworn in because he serves on municipal utility district board
Dec. 9
LSGCD board leaves seat vacant
Dec. 13
The Woodlands Water Agency requests Yoars appointment
Jan. 13
Yoars resignation from MUD board approved
Jan. 18
SOURCES: LONE STAR GROUNDWATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT, THE WOODLANDS WATER AGENCY COMMUNITY IMPACT
Montgomery County Hospital District focuses on sta retention
BY CASSANDRA JENKINS
personnel retention is more import- ant than ever due to the nationwide paramedic shortage. The American Ambulance Associ- ation reported greater than one-third of all new hires leave positions within their rst year of employment. MCHD’s 2022 turnover rate was 18%, which is below the national average, Campbell said. The hospital district also launched a new program in January to hire EMTs and train them to become paramedics, he said. MCHD will focus on building stations and adding ambulances in 2024-25.
EMS turnover Emergency medical services have struggled to ll many EMS positions nationally, while local turnover was at a lower rate. American Ambulance Association: 39% of part-time EMT and 55% of part-time paramedic positions went un lled in 2022 Montgomery County Hospital District: 18% turnover in 2022 SOURCES: AMERICAN AMBULANCE ASSOCIATION, MONTGOMERY COUNTY HOSPITAL DISTRICT COMMUNITY IMPACT
James Campbell, chief of emer- gency medical services for the Mont- gomery County Hospital District, said he is focusing on two things in 2023: employee retention and recruitment. Emergency medical technicians and paramedics for the hospital district will now get an additional day o in their rotation. The change, Campbell said, means ve days o in a row after working two 24-hour on-and-o shifts. The schedule change will reduce annual employee hours by approximately 600 hours. Campbell said emergency
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MAGNOLIA 32731 Egypt Lane, Ste. 701
THE WOODLANDS 19221 I-45 South Ste. 140 Shenandoah, TX 77385 (281) 363-2847
TOMBALL 425 Holderrieth Blvd, Ste. 116
Magnolia, TX 77354 (281) 789-4874
Tomball, TX 77375 (281) 351-1955
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THE WOODLANDS EDITION • FEBRUARY 2023
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