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Incorporation is Bad for Business: Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce Against Props A&B

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The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce has passed a resolution opposing incorporation (propositions A&B).

The Chamber, which represents more than 1,200 businesses and is the largest business association in the Houston region, included several key reasons for their opposition:

• The current low tax, pro-business environment attracts hotels, restaurants, and quality businesses. The Woodlands as a city will unleash a new tax rate, new city service charges, and a new taxing authority while creating no new services.
• The Woodlands Township presented the financial data to the Township Board on Friday, August 13 before the deadline of August 16 to place Incorporation on the ballot, leaving an inadequate amount of time for the board and community to fully understand the impact.
• Local law enforcement experts revealed substantial gaps, shortfalls, errors and omissions in the consultant study funded by The Woodlands Township, the document endorsed as a reliable blueprint for establishing a new police department should voters elect to incorporate. 
• In addition to budgetary omissions, the law enforcement expert’s report reveals a lack of understanding of the operational realities of a modern-day police force.
• Action of incorporating can never be undone, and will cause massive changes in the function, cost, and efficiency of our current governance model.
• A significant amount of The Woodlands Township incorporation reserve funds have been accumulated by pre-taxing residents and businesses within The Woodlands. The Woodlands Township should provide an alternative plan for utilization of these funds should incorporation fail at the ballot box in November

To read the full resolution CLICK HERE.