As Montgomery grapples with growth, elected city officials could serve longer terms

Elected city officials in Montgomery could serve longer terms in the future to better handle growth in the city, officials say. 

As the city of more than 2,000 residents continues to grow, officials say not enough work is accomplished within the current two-year term.

Council is debating extending the term for council members and mayor to three or four years. All current elected officials would be expected to serve their two-year term. 

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There’s a six-month assimilation period after a candidate is elected, said Mayor Byron Sanford.

“It takes five to six months to figure out which way is up, where you’ve been and where you’re headed,” Sanford said during a city council meeting Oct. 24. 

Council member Cheryl Fox brought the idea of term extensions during a workshop meeting, Sanford said. 

Council members find it hard to get a lot of work done with the growth the city has experienced, Fox said during the meeting. 

“And it doesn’t have a lot of continuity with all the growth in that area,” Fox said.

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Other council members echoed frustration to having a two-year term limit. 

“We swap out half the council every year, basically,” said council member Casey Olsen during the October meeting. “It really throws a (wrench) in agendas. You get a plan going and then, all of a sudden…we got three new members that have a whole new idea. It’s really hard to get things done.”

In terms of growth, council has worked to come up with a plan to try and have the right blend of growth between residential and commercial, Sanford said. 

“It’s such a painstaking process,” he said. “This council has been willing to take that challenge…and when we put it all together, we hate to digress from it. Because it’s taken so much work to get, finally, to the point where we feel like we’ve got a handle on the growth moving forward. We just need more time…is the driving force behind it all.” 

Other Houston-area cities such as Friendswood, Manvel and Dayton have a term length of three to four years, Sanford said. Montgomery ISD trustees also serve for three years.

The council is still holding discussions before deciding whether to have voters cast ballots on extending terms for city officials, Sanford said. This would affect any new city council member voted into office, officials said during the October meeting. 

Council members are expected to have more discussions over term length, Sanford said.