The Woodlands agrees to pay Houston $50 million to permanently block annexation – Click2Houston

The Woodlands agrees to pay Houston $50 million to permanently block annexation  Click2Houston

The Woodlands Township has approved a proposed agreement with the City of Houston that would prevent Houston from ever annexing the community. A decades-old question surrounding The Woodlands could soon be settled permanently. Under the proposed amendment to the two governments’ 2007 Regional Participation Agreement, The Woodlands would pay Houston $50 million by 2030 in exchange for permanently eliminating Houston’s ability to annex the township. The Woodlands Township Board approved the agreement Wednesday, with every member voting in favor. Houston City Council was also expected to consider the agreement, but its vote was delayed to allow council members more time to review and discuss the terms. The proposed deal would accelerate payments The Woodlands currently makes to Houston under the Regional Participation Agreement.

More than $22 million would be due by Dec. 31, followed by three additional payments through 2029, bringing the total to $50 million by 2030. Township Chair Shanna M. Tinsley said the amendment would end the existing long-term payment structure and make about $22.6 million currently held in the Regional Participation Fund available for Houston to use. The agreement would also allow The Woodlands to retain its one-sixteenth of 1% sales tax beginning in 2030. The proposed agreement is designed to give The Woodlands something township leaders have sought for years: a permanent guarantee that the community