Amended Woodlands Parkway extension back on the radar

Traffic moves southbound on FM 2978 in this file photo. Montgomery County Commissioners will discuss Woodlands Parkway extsion during their regular meeting at 9:30 a.m. Traffic moves southbound on FM 2978 in this file photo. Montgomery County Commissioners will discuss Woodlands Parkway extsion during their regular meeting at 9:30 a.m. Photo: David Hopper, Freelance Photo: David Hopper, Freelance Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Amended Woodlands Parkway extension back on the radar 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

EDITOR'S NOTE: The Courier incorrectly reported the cost of the contracts for the project. The cost on the engineering contracts for the potential connector is $530,000.

Just over year and a half after the battle over the Woodlands Parkway extension from FM 2978 to Texas 249 divided Montgomery County leaders and voters, the topic is back -- but this time with a slight adjustment.

According to information from Montgomery County, Precinct 2 Commissioner Charlie Riley is considering the realignment of the road to intersect with FM 2978 just south of Woodlands Parkway at Mansions Way.

Montgomery County commissioners will consider awarding $530,000 in contracts for the surveying and engineering of the possible realignment from FM 2978 at Mansions Way to Dobbin Huffsmith Road.

The court will meet at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday on the fourth floor of the Alan B. Sadler Administration Building, located 501 N. Thompson St.

In May 2015, voters rejected a $350 million road bond after many residents voiced their opposition to several projects, most notably the parkway extension because residents worried it would increase traffic through The Woodlands. However, in November that same year, commissioners put forth a $280 million bond package that did not include the extension. That bond passed.

In other Commissioners Court business:

After approving a 13-point boilerplate policy regarding ethics in April, commissioners will revisit the topic and consider implementing an ethics and compliance plan in order to pursue grants through the Texas Department of Transportation.

"Some of the grants we have applied for require specific ethics language," County Judge Craig Doyal said. "So that's what we are looking at, to make sure we have it covered."

Doyal said he is not sure whether the policy the court approved in April will meet the requirements for the grant. He said the County Attorney's Office probably will provide some guidance on the issue.

Last April, three years after the grand jury pushed for an ethics policy, commissioners adopted an ethics code for elected officials and high-ranking employees.

But the 13-point policy doesn't impose any new restrictions on county leaders or establish a way to implement and enforce the ethical standards.

According to information from TxDOT, Title 43 of the Texas Administrative Code requires specific state and federal fund recipients to adopt and enforce an internal ethics and compliance program. TxDOT can require "written evidence" of the county's ethics and compliance program.

Among the minimum requirements are ensuring high-level personnel are responsible for oversight of the plan; care is taken to avoid discretionary authority being given to individuals who have a propensity to engage in illegal activities; the plan must be communicated to the entity's employees including the governing board, using a monitoring or an audit system to ensure the plan is followed and that the plan is enforced with appropriate disciplinary mechanisms.

In a recent Courier article, District Attorney Brett Ligon and County Attorney J D Lambright urged all elected officials to be mindful of ethics, especially in the county where the political climate remains heated.

Ligon used his time at the podium during the Jan. 1 swearing-in of newly elected and re-elected officials, including himself, to tell the crowd, "Don't do anything you wouldn't want your mother to know about or anything that would make you want to take the Fifth before a grand jury."

Lambright agrees with Ligon and said a fundamental building block of any organization, whether it's in the private sector or in government, "is to construct it around people who have a high level of integrity and who adhere to the highest standards of conduct both in their professional as well as their personal lives."

Calming the waters

A day after saying that "the gloves will come off" if County Judge Craig Doyal and commissioners do not make the right decision in their next appointment to the Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District board, Conroe City Councilman Duane Ham said he is confident that they will make the best choices to protect county taxpayers' money, as well as their rights and access to groundwater.

The court is set to discuss potential appointments to the LSGCD board during Tuesday morning's meeting. The four-year term of Richard Tramm, general manager for the Porter Special Utility District, ends Jan. 31.

Commissioners have two seats on the board and appointed Gregg Hope to the other position a year ago.

There has been a strong push from several governmental bodies, as well as private water entities, to appoint a person who will better represent residents. There also has been discussion and support for legislation to make the board's positions elected by the people instead of appointed.

The court will meet at 9:30 a.m. today on the fourth floor of the Alan B. Sadler Administration Building, located at 501 N. Thompson St.