There are many issues to deal with as a board member, and they ALL must be taken care of.
Here is a link to the Vision 2034 - The older Strategic Plan for The Woodlands Township.
Here is a link to the newly started and unfinished Strategic Plan.
In short, there are eight areas:
1. Service Delivery
2. Communications
3. Organizational Support
4. Governance
5. Economic Development
6. Transportation and Mobility
7. Environmental Sustainability
8. Fiscal Policy
that each member of the board should endeavor to fulfil each goal falling under them. That has been the major issue to me is that our board has simply not followed completely a well written strategic plan, and they haven't well monitored metrics that seek to accomplish each goal falling under each of the focus areas. We also should use those metrics to analyze Township Operations by applying "The Balanced Scorecard". If we did just those two things and nothing else, we'd be better off. I suggest we add a ninth Focus Area called
9. Follow our Strategic Plan.
And we need to open the Strategic Planning process up better than we did when we met for the incorporation Townhall meeting where little to no input was actually taken. I have created my own strategic plan much of which has already been used by the board to great success since the new anti-incorporation board took over. The Strategic Plan is pre-eminently important and yet we seem to almost hide it and take minimal input into it's creation instead of tapping the vast intellectual resources.
Your issues are my issues. Tell me what they are and I will look into it - it's that simple. This does not mean I will always agree with everyone on every issue but I won't ignore legitimate issues either like most politicians do. FYI, it's because your are not a large donor. Because I don't have a Political Action Committee [PAC] supporting my campaign means I owe no favors and am owned by no one - except the individual voter.
The Woodlands is now in pretty good shape. But here are a few potential improvements.
AGING OF HOUSING
The Woodlands is aging and there is no effective plan in place to curb that and the problems that will soon be associated with it such as crime. It matters not what class ticket you bought [where you live in The Woodlands] when the ship is called the Titanic. The hole in the bow is going to affect the whole ship. This will take a comprehensive plan to deal with. Remember Greenspoint. We forget areas of the old Grogan’s Mill Village. It will be too late to do something about it after it becomes dilapidated.
Our paths are used to burglarize apartments, and transport drugs, with criminals knowing they are not watched because there is no police presence on the pathways. I predict things like this will only increase on the periphery as The Woodlands ages without an effective plan in place.
FLOODING & DRAINAGE
No entity has sole responsibility or authority over flood mitigation efforts. It currently has to be a collaborative effort between the SJRA, Harris County Flood Control District, The County, and our MUDs. The Township must lead these collaborative efforts on behalf of our residents. Montgomery County would do well to have a Flood Control district but this has been resisted, as only a small percentage of county residents have experienced flooding.
ROLLING BLACKOUTS
There have been a spate of electricity going out in public schools, a village shopping center, and many residences. I say this is unacceptable. I understand that TX Entergy has somewhat of a monopoly on The Woodlands at this time due to their investment in the infrastructure years ago but they are obviously not making the necessary investments now and using our area as a cash cow. As a matter of public policy, I propose a counter on the website that counts down the time until we are no longer required to use them solely to remind people that one day soon enough we will have options and if they don't make the necessary investments in our community then they may face a mass exodus at the end of their term.
PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE
What made The Woodlands successful was a comprehensive plan that was doable. We need to realize that the Vision 2034 Strategic Plan is only doable when it is comprehensive and look to what it takes to accomplish that vision.
The most important part of our future will involve replacing revenues lost from reduced development, beginning in 2023, and fundamental losses in major employers and occupiers of retail property in and around The Woodlands. All of this with the combined effects of increased responsibilities. Not just replacing lost revenues is important but increasing it to pay for economic development which nets returns like decreases in our taxes. I only will support investments like these if they bring a return to our residents.
PROPERTY TAXES, AFFORDABILITY, ECONOMIC & AND SUSTAINABLE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
Keep our property taxes low! If we wish to do so, we also need to preserve the economic engine and prosperity that exist in The Woodlands today, and look for investment opportunities - especially ones that bring jobs and retail revenue.
However, we need to balance the need for economic and commercial growth with preserving our forest and green space. The development of The Woodlands was founded on George Mitchell’s concept of “sustainable development.” In the area of urban development, there is a concept well known called "Smart Growth", which reduces investment and maintenance costs for infrastructure. I advocate a concept I call "Wise Growth" where the balance of development is in favor of the residents.
COVENANTS & DEED RESTRICTIONS
Most people who work for what they have earned don't wish to throw it away but that is what happens when we allow our standards to drop and enforcement of those standards to falter. We need a board that is dedicated to solving this issue wisely.
There is a need to educate our residents on the ongoing management and enforcement of our covenants by the RDRCs, DSC, and Township legal services, including the publication of actions taken when violations occur and based on the seriousness of infractions.
At the same time as having an effective education campaign on what they are, we need to have a process to change them and seek recommendations for changes: to document the resident's concerns and remove, add, and modify provisions as appropriate.
CULTURE / ARTS / DEBT
It seems to me there are ways to specifically help local artists by providing free tables at art expos or a center that protects none and provides for all in exchange for a public interest in the arts. Given the current state of the debt, we should pay that down before supporting pet projects such as an expensive art center.
I would be much more likely to make investments in transportation that will really enhance our quality of life, reduce traffic congestion, bring vitality to our paths, and reduce moving violations and accidents in our community.
I am NOT opposed to art; we just have higher priorities than spending tons on an art center. If the center can give a return on investment, then I'm for it. If it doesn't, now is not the time to spend the money. Let's get the ROI on it first.
TRANSPORTATION
Is an ongoing issue that has NEVER been resolved. But there is something we can do about it and I will make it a top priority and actually do something about it. There has been an increase in stop light violations, chasing the yellow light, and riding the bumper of cars in front. This can be assisted with transportation improvements, which should be sought to mitigate the problems.
First, The Township needs a more collaborative approach to work with the County and to immediately address traffic flow, reduce congestion, and improve mobility, intersection design and signalization. There are strong views on both sides of whether widening of roads will ultimately be beneficial. Those on one side have concerns with increased outside traffic and related safety while others just want to travel without undue impediments. There is less debate about the following.
The NorthStar Traffic Operations Center in Conroe operated and funded by Montgomery County Precinct 3 and run by Charles Cobb needs to be updated to a Realtime ATCS (Advanced Traffic Control System), which uses computers to optimize traffic flows rather than the current system, which relies on human entered timing inputs. Realtime ATCS offers a money-back guarantee on their system after full installation precisely because no one has asked to switch back. There is no known benefit to keeping the current system except to give the person who decides on the inputs a feeling of importance. It's time to update.
PATHWAYS
We need to revisit The Pathway Plan of 2016 seeking ways to keep bikes fully separated from cars on the road, and posing no hazard or impeding vehicular traffic. Personally, I would prefer to have the paths be less curvy and more straight so that they become more efficient for transport back and forth to local grocery and strip malls. I favor a walkable, bike-able, safe, and crime-free pathway system.
WATER
The Township should collaborate with our MUDs, SJRA, and the Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District to:
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maintain our water supply at a reasonable cost,
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sustain our aquifers and prevent subsidence & fault movements.
LAW ENFORCEMENT
We can't go about our daily lives without security, I plan to ensure our policing and neighborhood watch are top-notch.
However, it is increasingly clear that resources can be enhanced to achieve the following goals:
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REWARD police engagements that result in constitutional protections being upheld as much as the frequency in terms of calls responded to or arrests
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use of the Department of Justice Community Policing Self-Assessment Tool (CP-SAT) to see what improvements can be made in our current Community Orientated Policing [COPS] model,
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crime prevention, accident and risk reduction,
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increased visibility, solve crimes expeditiously,
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more transparency and visibility into our real crime problems and prevention efforts - these tend to be subdued so as to not lose the attractiveness of the community, especially for business
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high standards for law enforcement services should be adopted by our community, as well as the incentives necessary to reach those standards.
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special attention to problem areas like the Town Center, certain paths where burglaries are more frequent, aging homes on the periphery, and parking lots of our parks with swimming pools
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Seemingly a park is chosen every so often for the targeting of the cars in the parking lot and people become the victim of theft. We can slow this by installing cameras in these parking lots and protecting privacy by using them only for that purpose!
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The greatest increase of crime in The Woodlands is identity theft but it is probably the least addressed.
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AESTHETICS/BEAUTIFICATION
To keep The Woodlands beautiful also means sustaining trees, natural environments, and generous amounts of open spaces. The trend has been to sacrifice our natural beauty to make a buck when we pride ourselves on being clean, quiet, and peaceful.
CONTROL DEVELOPMENT
A house next to one's window is not beautiful to most. People move here to get away from that nonsense at other places. Some modern development being erected in a 1970's neighborhood does not fit into the street where it is being built. We need to seek a balance of economic development needs with those in the villages.
Up until now, development always seems to win that battle. In the view of many residents, it has been leaning too hard for too long on the side of development without consideration for value lost.
GOVERNMENT, EFFECTIVE SERVICES, MEETING NEEDS OF RESIDENTS
The Woodlands Township provides a decent level of effectiveness, but it can be better. See priorities tab for more information as to how this can be improved.
MOSQUITOES
Mosquitoes have killed more humans than even humans have killed humans - and that's a lot. In 1528 Cabeza de Vaca traveled among naked, berry gathering natives, near what we call today The Woodlands. He writes of mosquitoes back then. So they have a long history. Despite a massive effort by the Federal to eradicate mosquitoes in the Southern states, the ones here survived.
However, I don't believe they contribute to our quality of life. They don't enhance the ecosystem. Bats have plenty of other food to eat. But they bring anything from an annoyance and inability to take a walk, in some places in The Woodlands up to the possibility of spreading the West Nile virus, eastern equine encephalitis, dengue fever, and chikungunya.
There is a way to reduce the mosquito population by about 98% successfully done in Africa, Florida, California, and other places. It works by releasing male mosquitoes (that don't bite humans) that are more attractive to females, cannot produce offspring, live a normal life cycle, and die off causing no harm. The difference is because the females breed with them primarily, their eggs never produce more mosquitoes. Failing to reproduce en masse results in a significant reduction in total numbers.
Although the population levels of mosquitoes dropped by about 98%, this still leaves us with 2% of its very large population. Only about half of those are female (human biting), and of those only very few have diseases, so the risk of human infection and annoyance goes down massively. Even though I don't live in the part of The Woodlands where I am troubled with this issue as regularly, there are some of us who are, and it can affect any one of us.
I, for one, would be glad if they are all but gone. It may not be much of an issue now, but it is only a matter of time before it becomes one again. I would much rather be proactive about reducing risk. When bites with disease start happening, it will be too late to use this method and we will be reduced to airplanes flying over again releasing chemical agents into the air on top of all of us.
It is worth finding out if support exists, now or in the future for this. I know it is the responsibility of the County to handle mosquito control, but we need some effort on this front.
FERAL PIGS/HOGS
It is my understanding that a number of lawns in our neighborhoods are being damaged by hogs coming from the Jones Forest. A possible solution may include a joint effort between Texas A&M, The Woodlands Township, and TX Game and Wildlife. The employment of a contractor to remove them using corral traps. I intend to find out how much support exists for such an effort and the feasibility of an effective solution.
Quick update on this issue. I have talked with a biologist expert who tells me there are two options. 1.) Either leave them alone; or, 2.) Hunt them. I have spoken with animal rights advocates and vegans, as well as bowhunters. Although I am sure that there would be people opposed, it is looking like bacon is on the menu. We would need to obtain permission from Texas A&M before doing that.
TAX ABATEMENT
There is concern about businesses getting a tax abatement in order to move into The Woodlands and by doing so shifting the burden of taxes on the residents. The stated concern has to do with the idea that The Woodlands is so attractive that we would not need to provide them. However, I am aware that there is a great relief of tax burden that comes from having a large employer in and around a community. So, the costs and benefits need to be weighed and we need to be transparent about what is going on and how that helps or hurts the community.
ON THE ISSUES
The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce older video debate HERE !
The County Pulse older video interview HERE !