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At the beginning of the meeting, the Board agreed to move Agenda Item 7f from the Consent Agenda to the Regular Agenda. The Board also agreed to defer Regular Agenda items 9 and 15 to a future meeting.
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APPROVED - Engagement Agreement with The Strong Firm, P.C.
The Township has been very fortunate in its association with its current legal service providers, receiving excellent, high-quality legal services over the past 25 years from The Strong Firm, among others. The Strong Firm submitted a letter of engagement with new terms for Board consideration, following several changes in legal services for the Township over the past few years. The Township's agreement with The Strong Firm is not exclusive, and the Township continues to contract with Schwartz, Page & Harding to serve as bond counsel and for legislative drafting and special district work. The Board unanimously approved the agreement.
“I believe that Bret is offering a tremendous value to the Township…the proposal provides a really good contract and allows us to keep what I consider to be the best lawyers possible for the Township.” - Vice Chairman Kyle Watson
“We are very fortunate to have the background and expertise that we have with The Strong Firm.” - Chairman Dr. Ann K. Snyder
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ACCEPTED - Update on Township fire facilities, including Fire Station 5 and the Emergency Training Center
Staff is currently working with a General Contractor to finalize a contract for the renovation of Fire Station 5 and the Emergency Training Center ("ETC"). Staff is working diligently with the Architect and General Contractor to scale the project and manage costs. The current cost estimate for both projects is $14.6 million.
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ACCEPTED - Report on potential federal funding opportunities
Director of Government Relations Todd Stephens gave a presentation on federal funding opportunities as they relate to the preparation and submission of a federal appropriations request of up to $1.5 million for the relocation and rebuilding of Fire Station 5.
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ACCEPTED - Financial Report
Chief Financial Officer Kellan Shaw gave the financial report for 12 months ending December 31, 2023.
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ACCEPTED - 2023 Communications Annual Report, the January 2024 Activities and Metrics Report, and the 2024 Communications Action Plan
Director of Communications LeaAnn Petersen presented a summary of activities, projects and projections for the Township’s communications department.
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AWARDED - Bid for The Woodlands Community Magazine
The Board unanimously voted to move forward with a magazine to be mailed bi-monthly, without advertising, and designed in-house, utilizing Community Impact Printing to print and mail the next issue of the magazine.
“This is a cost we haven’t had to absorb before, but it is the number one publication in The Woodlands…. It’s a small portion of our budget… I personally think it’s an important publication and we need to make it the best we can.” - Director Cindy Heiser
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AWARDED - Bid/proposal for Transit Planning and Consulting Services
During the past five years, The Goodman Corporation has been successful in assisting the Township in receiving $6.5 million in Transportation Development Credits (TDC’s) for the purchase of new transit vehicles, essentially offsetting the Township’s need to spend this amount in local dollars. They have also been instrumental in assisting the Township in receiving $400,000 in competitive grants for the Route Planning Study effort and achieving a ‘no findings’, completely clean, Triennial Review in 2023. Township staff is confident that The Goodman Corporation can continue to provide the Township with quality work, due to their staff and subcontractor expertise, regional knowledge, funding acquisition capabilities, and transit program administration and compliance expertise. The Board unanimously accepted the proposal and authorized the President/Chief Executive Officer to proceed.
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RECEIVED - Quarterly update from Visit The Woodlands (Convention & Visitors Bureau)
Visit The Woodlands President Nick Wolda highlighted destination marketing and advertising programs for the Township Directors and said The Woodlands Township set a record for hotel occupancy tax collection in 2023. With 14 hotels with 2,250 rooms, the Township collected $9.6 million in Hotel (HOT) Taxes, setting a new record for hotel utilization in The Woodlands. This surpassed a previous highest year of collections, which was $9.2 million in 2019.
"It is incredibly exciting that 2023's hotel tax collections exceeded 2019 numbers, which was previously the most successful year. The Board and staff are working diligently to promote The Woodlands for leisure travel and conventions. Sales tax, hotel tax and mixed beverage tax make up a majority of The Woodlands Township's budget which helps keep property taxes low for our residents and businesses. This is a great indicator that tourism has returned and is growing in The Woodlands and we look forward to continuing this success in 2024." - Brad Bailey, Chairman of Visit The Woodlands.
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RECEIVED - An update regarding the Village Presidents' Council
Director Richard Franks gave an update of activities of the Village President’s Council.
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CLOSED MEETING
The Board recessed to Executive Session.
NO ACTION – Matters related to fault monitoring.
No action was taken.
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