Government
BY NICHAELA SHAHEEN & JESSICA SHORTEN
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 on June 24 presented an update 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. Montgomery County to explore jail solutions The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department is seeking solutions for worsening jail overcrowding as the jail reached 97.9% of capacity in June, Chief Deputy Jonathan Zitzmann said. What happened At a July 15 Commissioners Court meeting,
Magnolia City Council gives its approval to land annexation On July 8, Magnolia City Council approved the annexation of 94.53 acres of land. In a nutshell The development involves residential and commercial, as previously reported. The annexation allows the city to receive taxes and obligates the city to provide services, City Attorney Leonard Schneider said.
Grant requests pending
Dobbin-Huffsmith Road reconstruction $14.25M Intelligent transportation system $11.72M Hardin Store Road reconstruction $9.5M Fiber interconnections for traffic signals $5M
SOURCE: MONTGOMERY COUNTY/COMMUNITY IMPACT
“We’ll be able to know traffic trends on every roadway in the county,” Smith said. Smith said the projects qualify for CMAQ grants by improving air quality through minimizing wait times at traffic lights and reducing emissions. What else? 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. Zitzmann said the jail is operating at 97.9% capac- ity, housing 1,289 inmates. Per the presentation, the Texas Commission on Jail Standards’ require- ment is operating at 90% capacity, for which the county applied for and was granted a one-year variance that expires in March, he said. What’s next A consulting firm will be hired to analyze best practices and guide the county. The study, funded by the sheriff’s existing budget, will take 90 days, Zitzmann said.
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SOURCE: CITY OF MAGNOLIA/COMMUNITY IMPACT
Montgomery County Jail options New jail facility 20-30 year solution Cost: $350 million 2,300 beds
Five-year planning and construction timeline Facility acquisition 5-10 year solution Cost: $60 million 2,500 beds Limited expansion potential
SOURCE: MONTGOMERY COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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