Did The Woodlands Just Get Annexed?

[bachanon]

i thought that this information needed it's own thread.

pineda posted

What's this all about???? (found in the minutes of today's council meeting)

"20. ORDINANCE granting the petition of THE WOODLANDS LAND DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, L.P. to include certain land in Montgomery County, Texas within the extraterritorial jurisdiction of the City of Houston; expanding and extending the extraterritorial jurisdiction of the City of Houston to include all of such land in accordance with section 42.022B of the Texas Local Government Code" 

redscare posted

SUBCHAPTER B. DETERMINATION OF EXTRATERRITORIAL JURISDICTION

Sec. 42.021. EXTENT OF EXTRATERRITORIAL JURISDICTION. The extraterritorial jurisdiction of a municipality is the unincorporated area that is contiguous to the corporate boundaries of the municipality and that is located:

(1) within one-half mile of those boundaries, in the case of a municipality with fewer than 5,000 inhabitants;

(2) within one mile of those boundaries, in the case of a municipality with 5,000 to 24,999 inhabitants;

(3) within two miles of those boundaries, in the case of a municipality with 25,000 to 49,999 inhabitants;

(4) within 3-1/2 miles of those boundaries, in the case of a municipality with 50,000 to 99,999 inhabitants; or

(5) within five miles of those boundaries, in the case of a municipality with 100,000 or more inhabitants.

Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 149, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1987.

Sec. 42.022. EXPANSION OF EXTRATERRITORIAL JURISDICTION. (a) When a municipality annexes an area, the extraterritorial jurisdiction of the municipality expands with the annexation to comprise, consistent with Section 42.021, the area around the new municipal boundaries.

( The extraterritorial jurisdiction of a municipality may expand beyond the distance limitations imposed by Section 42.021 to include an area contiguous to the otherwise existing extraterritorial jurisdiction of the municipality if the owners of the area request the expansion.

Apparently, the city's ETJ extends through part of the Woodlands, but not all. The WOC asked the city to include the rest of the Woodlands in the ETJ. This could be for numerous reasons, but my guess is that since city restrictions extend to the ETJ, the WOC wanted those protections to cover all of the Woodlands. A prime example would be the city's billboard ordinance.

Remember, only cities can enact ordinances, not counties. The ETJ extends city protection to the Woodlands that Montgomery County cannot provide. Woodlands residents owe us Houstonians a debt of gratitude. 

anyone have more information on this?

[kjb434]

It just expands the ETJ. No annexation occured.

The only possible annexation I would see in the future would be the limited annexation of the commercial areas. All this will do is allow the City of Houston and the MUD's to split the revenues from sales taxes. MUDs can't levee sales tax nor collect it, but the City can. It a neat way for the city to capitalize on increasing revenue and without providing services.

Tons of these exist all over the city. All along I-10 from Greenhouse to past the Grand Parkway is an area like this. I-45 from FM 2920 to Airtex is another strip. Highway 6 from Westpark to Bellfort is another one.

There was also some good point made by Redscare regarding quality of life ordinances such as billboard limitations.

Most of the Woodlands is in the ETJ already. Just a little bit is left out. It is possible though for the area to become annexed, but that process can't start until 2011 and will have to get approval by residents. One good thing about being annexed is that your property Taxes would go down a bit (small bit) whenever your MUD dissolves since the increase will not be needed to pay for new MUD infrastructure and repairs.

[bachanon]

thanks, kjb434.

just call me an alarmist. i knew about the annexation moratorium until 2011; however, the wording sounded, well, alarming.

[kjb434]

Perfectly OK for you to be that way. You looking out for yourself. Nothing like being slapped in the back of the head with a government action you didn't see comming.

I wish more people were concernced citizens and ask questions about what happening.

[UrbaNerd]

If this keeps on going, Houston will probably annex Dallas by 2050.

[RedScare]

Hey bachanon, you ought to email the Woodlands Operating Company and ask them why they requested the City to do that. I'd be interested to know what their reasoning was.

It might be really funny if you acted like one of the crazed residents, that thinks the manhole covers mean Houston is coming. Might get a better response.

[KatieDidIt]

If this keeps on going, Houston will probably annex Dallas by 2050.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Is this why I saw two City of Houston officers, in uniform, unloading their patrol bikes from their police cars at the Panther Creek Randalls. I though that was odd.

[RedScare]

Is this why I saw two City of Houston officers, in uniform, unloading their patrol bikes from their police cars at the Panther Creek Randalls. I though that was odd.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes, it is. We will be relocating all of our crack dealers into city purchased houses located next to your high schools by early next week, as well. Our homeless will be bused to that new downtown looking thing next to your mall to give it more of a Houston flavor.

And since your land is cheaper than our inner loop land, we will soon be building all of our HUD required housing in Alden Bridge.

Enjoy living in the city!

[kjb434]

I guess they are doing to scouting work for the new frontier before the City Annexes. They also could be doing some off duty work since the Woodlands doesn't really have a police force.

Also, anything within the ETJ will probably have a City of Housotn manhole cover.

[The Great Hizzy!]

If this keeps on going, Houston will probably annex Dallas by 2050.

Are you suggesting that Dallas may soon be a suburb of Houston? I don't think that would go over very well with our friends in north central Texas.

[kjb434]

^^^

lol

Yeah, because by the time we have reached near dallas, we would have all of southeast texas already.

Anyway,

If any of you have seen the Houston ETJ boundary, you'll agree it's pretty impressive. Almost any part of unicorporated Harris County is free to be annexed and portions of Fort Bend, Waller, Montgomery, and Liberty Counties.

The rule of thumb is approximately a 5 mile radius around the Houston city limits. Also, Houston has lots of strip annexations along highways for only the right of way (which is illegal now in the state of Texas) which increase the ETJ substantially.

The 5 mile radius thing will vary with the size of the city enforcing the ETJ.

[bachanon]

I've emailed The Woodlands' Development Co. and the president of the Grogan's Mill Village Association (my homeowner's assoc.). I will email more contacts after I get home this evening. Maybe someone can explain what this is intended to accomplish.

I think I hear KatyDidIt groaning all the way from Sterling Ridge. I do hope her water pressure issue is working out

[pineda]

a little light reading for my good friend, Bach...

Start here with item # 10:

GROGAN

[KatieDidIt]

I've emailed The Woodlands' Development Co. and the president of the Grogan's Mill Village Association (my homeowner's assoc.).  I will email more contacts after I get home this evening.  Maybe someone can explain what this is intended to accomplish.

I think I hear KatyDidIt groaning all the way from Sterling Ridge.  I do hope her water pressure issue is working out

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Water smodder. Who needs a good shower anyway?

As to the WOC or the WDC or the Mafia, what have ya..... Considering how they have been acting lately, there has GOT TO BE money in it for them.

[bachanon]

thanks for the interesting read pineda. some days i simply wish for some acreage in the country.

[bachanon]

i received a reply today from a mr. ted washington. his title was not posted. the email is as follows:

Before a Municipal Utility District can be formed, all of the land must

be under the same jurisdiction. This was simply a housekeeping matter to

transfer extraterritorial jurisdiction of some Montgomery County land to

the extraterritorial jurisdiction of Houston so that a MUD district

could be formed. With the exception of a small tract off of SH242, all

of the land in The Woodlands is under the extraterritorial jurisdiction

of the City of Houston and has been since The Woodlands opened in 1974.

i'm jazzed i rec'd a response so quickly. plus, i learned something. thanks for the suggestion to do so redscare.

[RedScare]

No problen, bach, and thanks for doing so. Having all of the MUD in the same ETJ makes sense, since if an annexation were to occur, the annexing city would take over the MUD and pay or retire the bonds.

BTW, I am sure the response was quick, because they weren't doing anything untoward. Wait till they do something controversial and see how fast they respond.

[kjb434]

The city will most probably wait until the MUD pays off its bonds and becomes solvent before annexation.

[new major on the block]

It is a little off topic but I saw a man hole cover saying city of houston on it in the parking lot outside the old architecture building at PVAMU.