Letter to the Editor: “The fight for The Woodlands”

The article, “The fight for the Woodlands,” presented the impending issue of annexation of the Woodlands into Houston that is a possibility by 2011. Some basic information about the Woodlands was given. The Woodlands is approximately 25 miles away from Houston with a population of 84,850 people. The annexation of Clear Lake in 1977 and Kingwood in 1996 are also discussed. Basically, the Woodlands has several options for fighting the possible annexation but much of the final decision rests either in the state legislature, or by Houston itself. The two most realistic options are: incorporate as a city, or form a public service district. Houston cannot begin the annexation of the Woodlands until 2011 due to a deal they made with their municipal utility district, and then they would be required under Texas law to provide the Woodlands with a plan that the services they would provide would be equal to their current services. The entire process would take about three years. This requirement was added to Texas law with other legislation after Kingwood residents appealed to the state legislature about the laws that allowed cities to annex surrounding areas without their own say in the matter.

This article seems to paint the Woodlands and other annexed areas as victims that were engulfed by the city of Houston. At one point in the article, one of the members of the Woodlands community association offers a dissenting opinion. He believes that annexation would be good for the Woodlands and provide them with opportunities and greater public services than they already have. He also suggests that residents will have a greater opportunity to participate in politics, and they will gain infrastructure like courts and other government buildings and departments. Even in the issue of annexation it seems that just a few people on the community association and the developers are deciding how the community will proceed. It seems as that this article paints the picture that residents need to fight against the city, and that annexation will only bring a decline in the services and way the city is run.

Additionally, the Woodlands has already and will continue to benefit from infrastructure and services the city of Houston provides regardless of whether they are annexed or not. The article points out that the Woodlands has grown and businesses their have been successful due to the airports, highways, and the Port of Houston. The Woodlands is a suburban community of Houston and many of the residents there commute in and out of the city for work. Basically, the Woodlands would not exist of the city of Houston was not here and did not contribute to the survival and economic success of the community.

The biggest issue that concerns me is the actual Texas law. It is difficult to change the laws or appeal to the legislature about these issues, because they only meet once every two years, and annexation usually occurs fairly quickly. Also, the Woodlands currently lies close enough to Houston’s borders that they actually require the city’s approval in order to be able to incorporate into their own city. It seems as if basically the community is not able to make an individual choice to provide their own government, infrastructure, and utilities. Even if they come up with their own plan, and they pass a vote to incorporate into their own city, this can still be rejected, and they can be annexed into the city of Houston. Texas law does not restrict cities enough, and it also does not leave outside communities with many options outside of being annexed. The only thing that has restricted other cities in Texas from expanding as much as Houston through annexation has been surrounding communities racing toward their own incorporation. I believe that communities in Texas would benefit from laws that added additional restrictions to the process cities must go through to expand through annexation. The Woodlands is large enough and also far enough away from Houston that it would probably be best if they were allowed to incorporate into their own city.