Each month leading up to The Woodlands 50th Anniversary celebration, content is created to honor the past, present and future of our community. For the month of September, this is the third installment in a four-part series on governance.
The Woodlands, recognized as one of the Best Communities to Live in America, has a unique governance history that sets it apart from other Texas municipalities. In its early stages, Community Associations, also known as Homeowners Associations, and the Town Center Improvement District laid the groundwork for what would eventually become The Woodlands Township, the only special-purpose district in Texas. In this third series of four installments, we will explore the early formation of The Woodlands Township.
As The Woodlands continued to grow, residents were particularly worried about the possibility of Houston expanding its boundaries into the community.
Bruce Tough, former Chairman of The Woodlands Township Board of Directors (2010-2015) and Founder and Managing Shareholder of Tough Law Firm, stated the community sentiment. “We all had a united desire for The Woodlands to avoid annexation by Houston. This spurred a collaborative effort to develop our own, independent form of governance.”
Regulation Milestones
A significant milestone came in 1999 when then Texas State Senator Tommy Williams spearheaded efforts to secure a 12-year annexation moratorium agreement with the City of Houston. This agreement, sanctioned by then-Texas Governor George W. Bush, provided time for The Woodlands to chart its own course.
Between 2002 and 2006, The Woodlands began a comprehensive governance evaluation initiative. This effort created the formation of a Joint Ad-Hoc Governance Process and Governance Steering Committee, tasked with studying and assessing various governance options for The Woodlands, Tough mentioned. Community leaders and members of The Woodlands Operating Company, now Howard Hughes, which is the developer of The Woodlands, invested their time into the committees which also included residential feedback.
As a result of the ongoing community efforts, The Woodlands entered into a Regional Participation Agreement (RPA) with the cities of Houston and Conroe in spring 2007.
“The Regional Participation Agreement was instrumental for the development of The Woodlands. Through this agreement, Houston agreed not to annex any property in The Woodlands for 50 years. Most importantly, it granted The Woodlands an alternate form of government under Texas law,” stated Nelda Luce Blair, the first Chairman of the Board for The Woodlands Township and Founder of the Blair Law Firm. “We also provided payments into a regional participation fund to be used for joint regional projects. A similar RPA was entered into with the City of Conroe.”
This victory represented a pivotal moment in The Woodlands’ journey towards self-governance, setting the stage for the community to shape its own destiny in years to come.
In November 2007, the residents of The Woodlands overwhelmingly voted to form The Woodlands Township as a special-purpose district, which would become the central government for most municipal-type services. Three propositions were passed: the addition of territory to Town Center Improvement District (all The Woodlands would fall in The Woodlands Township boundary); change in the composition of the Town Center Improvement District’s Board of Directors; and allowed the TCID to levy an ad valorem tax. (This allowed The Woodlands Township to tax businesses and personal property instead of the Community Association assessments.)
Additional Legislation Prohibiting Annexation
In 2017, a legislative breakthrough was enacted to address concerns about annexation, a positive move for the residents of The Woodlands. Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 6, which reformed and limited the municipal annexation process. According to Blair, this new law, introduced by Texas Senator Donna Campbell and Texas State Representative Dan Huberty, prohibits a city to annex areas beyond its current boundaries without resident voter approval.
“The governance of The Woodlands has been carefully orchestrated and brought to fruition by the residents of The Woodlands. The formation of The Woodlands Township and alleviating the thought of annexation to be determined by its residents is a true testament of our community,” said Jim Carman, President of the Houston Region for Howard Hughes.
Once The Woodlands Township was created, the next step was to transition the Community Associations into the newly created special-purpose district. This process involved integrating the existing Associations, which previously managed local community services and functions, into the governance structure of The Woodlands Township. This unification was crucial for streamlining operations, ensuring continuity of services, and aligning the management of community resources.
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Many thanks to The Woodlands 50th Anniversary Sponsors:
FOUNDING – Howard Hughes
PRODUCER – The Woodlands Township
LEGACY – Woodforest National Bank
HERITAGE – Waste Connections Inc.
GOLD – Entergy Texas, Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital
SILVER – Ovintiv, SVN/JBeard Real Estate, The John Cooper School