Magnolia officials are moving forward with a gate and fencing project tied to the Magnolia Police Department after approval during their Jan. 13 meeting.

In a nutshell: Magnolia City Council approved a $79,990 project proposal by Superior Fence & Rail, according to the agenda. 

Police Chief Kyle Montgomery told council the work should begin by the end of the month, but there’s no clear timeline yet for when it will be finished.

As part of the project, Montgomery said the site plan has been adjusted to swap an 18-foot sliding track gate for a 16-foot gate with an added walking gate, and he said the dumpster will likely be moved to accommodate the changes.

On cost, Montgomery told council the city caught a vendor special that lowered the price from what staff expected, saying it “should have been more than $79[,000]." 

Montgomery said during the Dec. 9 City Council meeting that the intent of the gate is to separate the police parking lot from the City Hall parking lot, allowing for more security. 

Tomball ISD’s board of trustees at its Jan. 13 board meeting approved the use of bond funds for school facility purchases, as well as multiple donations from parent-teacher organizations to support its campuses.

In a nutshell: Multiple parent-teacher organizations in the Tomball area made donations to support their local schools. These donations include:

• $159,812 from Tomball Education Foundation to TISD
• $27,398 from West Elementary PTO to West Elementary School
• $20,000 from Creekside Forest Elementary PTO to Creekside Forest Elementary School
• $20,000 from Creekview Elementary PTO to Creekview Elementary School
• $10,603 from Tomball High School Cheer Booster Club to Tomball High School

The filing period to run for local offices on the May 2 uniform election date began Jan. 14.

The details: In Tomball, voters will decide City Council Positions 1 and 5 in the city’s next scheduled election, according to the city’s elections page.

In Magnolia, the ballot will include races for mayor and City Council Positions 4 and 5 for two-year terms expiring in May 2028, according to the city’s election information.

Diving in deeper: For those interested in running in the Tomball election, candidate packets are available through the city secretary’s office at 401 Market St., Tomball. Applications may be submitted by email, fax or mail, but the city notes applications must be notarized before filing electronically or by fax/mail, per the website.

The city of Magnolia posts a candidate packet and a running list of applicants as filings are received, according to election information. The city's election day voting hours are 7 a.m.-7 p.m. May 2.

The last day to register to vote is April 2.