Government
BY NICHAELA SHAHEEN
County could regulate roadside vendors Montgomery County commissioners on July 15 discussed a proposed ordinance aimed at regulating roadside vendors, pan- handlers and live animal sellers operating in public rights of way through House Bill 2012. Commissioner Matt Gray said the measure is needed to give law enforcement tools to address public safety issues. Next steps A draft ordinance will be brought back before the court prior to Sept. 1 for consid- eration. County officials said they will use the interim period to gather feedback and fine-tune language. Montgomery County seeks $40M for mobility Jason Smith, deputy chief of staff for Mont- gomery County Judge Mark Keough’s Office, outlined $40 million in planned projects for the county as part of congestion mitigation and air quality, or CMAQ, grants from the Federal Transit Administration. Two-minute impact Smith presented an update June 24 on the potential for over $40 million in CMAQ grants through the Houston-Galveston Area Council to commissioners. The grants are comprised of fed- eral funds which are distributed locally by H-GAC for projects to address congestion and increase overall air quality, according to H-GAC officials. One such project, Smith said, would allow the county to track road traffic through implementa- tion of a system similar to Houston TranStar for Montgomery County. “We’ll be able to know traffic trends on every roadway in the county,” Smith said. “The end goal on that is to be able to put up a map very, very sim- ilar to TranStar, so that everybody in Montgomery County can see real-time traffic data on the streets.” Smith said the projects qualify for CMAQ grants by improving air quality through minimizing wait times at traffic lights and reducing emissions.
County seeks grant for economic post Montgomery County commissioners are seeking grant funding for a new economic mobility and opportunity special assistant who would coordinate economic development efforts across the entire county. What you need to know Commissioners approved a grant application June 10 to the International City/County Management Association. Precinct 3 Commissioner Ritch Wheeler said he brought forth the idea following a conversation with The Woodlands Area Economic Development Partnership in an effort to foster more collaboration.
Grant requests pending
$5M Fiber interconnections for traffic signals $14.25M Dobbin-Huffsmith Road reconstruction $11.72M Intelligent transportation system $9.5M Hardin Store Road reconstruction
SOURCE: MONTGOMERY COUNTY/COMMUNITY IMPACT
What else? Smith said Montgomery County was the only county to submit requests for the grant funds in 2025. Smith said if the grants for the traffic signal projects are approved, the county would then request interlocal agreements with any cities in the county that pay for their own traffic signals to get permission for installing upgrades to light poles. A call for projects by the H-GAC for new trans- portation alternatives will be opening up soon, and Smith said the county will bring in local school districts for potential projects which could improve local connectivity and mobility at schools. The county is also working on updating and creating mobility studies for each county pre- cinct, which is expected to be assigned a consul- tant by the H-GAC within six months. However, Smith said county officials could continue to encourage a quicker process with the H-GAC at their regular meetings.
“This position is critically important ... for Montgomery County, because our [economic development partnerships] are not talking to each other.” RITCH WHEELER, COMMISSIONER, MONTGOMERY COUNTY PRECINCT 3
MCSO urges rapid action on jail overcrowding
At a July 15 commissioners court meeting, Jonathan Zitzmann, chief deputy for Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, urged a solution to county jail overcrowding issues. “We’ve repurposed every available space,”
Options to address overcrowding in Montgomery County Jail
Construct new jail facility Timeframe: 20-30 year solution Cost: $350 million Bed capacity: 2,300 beds Details: five-year planning and construction timeline Acquire existing jail facility Timeframe: 5-10 year solution Cost: $60 million Bed capacity: 2,500 beds Details: limited expansion potential
Zitzmann said. The big picture
According to the presentation, the Texas Com- mission on Jail Standards requires operating less than 90% capacity, and the county jail is operating at 97.9% capacity. A one-year variance from that requirement expires in March, he said. Commissioner Charlie Riley was appointed as liaison for the planning effort. A consulting firm will be hired to analyze best practices and guide the county through options using existing budget funds. The study will take 90 days, Zitzmann said.
SOURCE: MONTGOMERY COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE/COMMUNITY IMPACT
6
COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
Powered by FlippingBook