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Texas Public Policy Foundation Warns Against Incorporation

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Limited-Government, Conservative Think Tank: ‘Why mess with success?’

THE WOODLANDS – The Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF), the state’s premier limited-government, conservative public policy think tank, has joined the mounting opposition to incorporating The Woodlands, questioning the wisdom of the plan, its affordability, and why it would even be considered in the first place.

“Despite its success as a township, its board of directors is pushing for The Woodlands to incorporate as a city,” wrote James Quintero, Policy Director for the TPPF’s Government for the People campaign. “The bigger question is why mess with success?”

TPPF points out that proponents’ projected costs for incorporation, which independent analyses say were understated by nearly $27 million, simply don’t add up. Creating a new police department from scratch would be expensive and could result in a less safe community at a time when crime is rising across America.

“Are residents of The Woodlands willing to accept a lower level of public safety? Probably not—but that’s what incorporation into a city, under the current plan, could bring,” Quintero wrote.

The conservative think tank also points out that a frequently cited reason to incorporate – avoiding annexation – is unnecessary since forced annexation is now illegal under Texas law.

“The Woodlands should be left in its pristine state — with its small but efficient township structure, its unique identity as a haven in the midst of the chaotic Houston metropolitan area, and its strong non-governmental institutions,” Quintero wrote. “Adding a layer of bureaucracy atop the township’s success would be like throwing a fire blanket atop a small blaze. The effect would be suffocation.

“In The Woodlands, the truism really is true—its government is governing best because it’s governing least.”

 CLICK HERE to read more on TPPF’s position on incorporation.