The Woodlands Real Estate Blog

November election to decide whether The Woodlands becomes a municipality.

Residents of The Woodlands Tx and its outlying areas recently had an opportunity to hear firsthand the details of a proposed boundary expansion and name change for the Town Center Improvement District (TCID). Expansion of the boundaries of TCID is the first step toward incorporation and self-government for The Woodlands, Harper's Landing and Creekside Park Village. The new entity, if approved by voters in November, will be called The Woodlands Township.

The November election will have two propositions on the ballot. The first one will be to allow TCID to expand its jurisdiction and begin transitioning to an elected board, and a second proposition which releases The Woodlands from possible annexation by Houston in exchange for participation in the funding of future regional projects.

The proposed expansion would encompass residential and commercial development totaling more than 30,000 acres, parts of which currently are under the jurisdictions of Conroe and Houston. TCID consists of 1,500 acres of predominantly commercial property in Town Center.

The Community Associations has formed ""The Woodlands Decides"" to conduct an educational campaign. To receive the e-newsletters, residents need to register on the Web site: www.thewoodlandsdecides.com

A separate political action committee called The Woodlands V.O.I.C.E. also has been formed to urge passage of the propositions. Only registered voters will be able to vote in the Nov. 6 election. ""We do have some elections in The Woodlands where residents do not have to be registered to vote. But they must be registered to vote in the general election in November,"" said Karen Dempsey, management analyst of the Community Associations of The Woodlands.

The last day to register is Oct. 9. Residents may contact their county election offices to receive a voter registration card. If the propositions pass, the way will be cleared for an election in May at which time some new directors of The Woodlands Township will be elected. Some of the directors of the former TCID will remain on the board. In 2010, another election will be held to replace the remaining former TCID directors.

Dempsey said, ""The bill, as written by the state legislature, puts a moratorium in place until 2014 before a mayor and other city officials can be elected."" It also gives the new township an opportunity to set infrastructure in place for provision of city services.

The election is the result of legislative efforts by state Sen. Tommy Williams, (R-The Woodlands), who sponsored the two bills in the recent 80th session of the legislature.