TAXES – Our taxes should be used equitably to pay for community infrastructure, as well as economic development.

GOVERNANCE & THE FUTURE – How will we avoid duplication of efforts between The Woodlands Community Service Corporation and The Woodlands Township staff? • Are all of our property values being protected equally? The front of The Woodlands should be developed to the same standards as the newer sections. • Where and how are the access fees we pay each month on our cable and phone bills allocated back to our community? • Should The Woodlands be on a fast track to becoming a great Texas City?

  LAW ENFORCEMENT & TRAFFIC CONTROL – “Our Achilles heel in The Woodlands is the lack of our own community law enforcement. The Woodlands is under-protected and under-served in many areas of security and protection. We currently have a combination of urban and rural sheriff and constable departments trying their best to serve almost 400,000 people living in 1,000 square miles. To be truly effective, The Woodlands needs its own visible police department, complete with a traffic division. Our community also needs its own court system served by its own resident-elected judges and justice of the peace. The new board of The Woodlands Township needs to make “peace of mind,” paramount if they are to truly serve the residents. ”

COVENANTS/BUILDING CODES/ORDINANCES – George Mitchell founded The Woodlands and created the vision. However, Mr. Mitchell has not owned or developed The Woodlands since 1997. Are we satisfied with what a decade of revised dreams has contributed to the community? • Let’s put covenants, development codes, ordinances, building permits and inspections firmly in the hands of the stakeholders – the residents who invested their life savings and are raising their families in The Woodlands.

SMART GROWTH – Economic development is good for The Woodlands. We have become a commercial center that has surpassed even downtown Houston in key areas, such as occupancy and average rate. The new Woodlands Township board, elected to represent all residents, needs to be responsible and accountable to ensure that commercial development benefits everyone, not special interests.

ONE-STOP COMMUNITY SERVICES – The Woodlands needs one-stop community services with a cohesive infrastructure. Currently The Woodlands has separate entities providing fire, police, traffic control, water, roads, government, economic development, culture, convention and visitors bureau, residential and commercial development, child care, indigent care, parks and recreation, education, animal control, and more. Not all of these can or should be consolidated, but there are promising opportunities ahead to improve service to every resident and at significantly lower cost.

QUALITY OF LIFE – Most of us live our lives for our children and grandchildren. One of the main reasons we moved to The Woodlands in the first place is to raise our families in George Mitchell’s idyllic community. We identified with Cynthia and George Mitchell who had ten children of their own and knew what it took in the way of amenities, ambiance, and security to attract and retain families. The original slogan of The Woodlands back in 1974 was "A real hometown for people and companies." It’s up to all of us to keep the "real hometown" alive and to maintain the quality of life that will benefit our children, and grandchildren, and their families.