Montgomery County, Conroe approve courthouse restoration design cost sharing
Montgomery County Commissioners Court and Conroe City Council each approved on Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026 an agreement to share the local match costs required by a Texas Historical Commission grant for designing the restoration of the county courthouse to its original 1936 condition.
- When it happened
- Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026
- Where
- Montgomery County, City of Conroe
- First reported by an outlet
- Nov 5, 2026 at 4:15 pm
- Confirmed by
- the original record or a trusted outlet
Taxes & money
| What | Amount | Who pays |
|---|---|---|
| Texas Historical Commission grant for courthouse design | $1.8 million[1] | State of Texas |
| Local match required by commission | $773,249[1] | Montgomery County and City of Conroe combined |
| Conroe's share of local match | $386,624[1] | City of Conroe from hotel tax fund |
Who's involved
The facts
- In July 2026, the county won a $1.8 million grant from the Texas Historical Commission's courthouse preservation program. [1][1]
- The commission requires a local match of 30% or $773,249 for the county to accept the grant. [1][1]
- Montgomery County is splitting the local match cost with the City of Conroe. [1][1]
- Conroe's $386,624 share will come from the city's hotel tax fund. [1][1]
- The Texas Historical Commission has approved renovating the top two floors of the courthouse, which currently serve as jails, to allow for more courthouse space. [1][1]
- Both the city council and the commissioners court approved the agreements unanimously on Nov. 5, 2026. [1][1]
- The county plans to build a justice center in the coming years that will house the majority of the county's courts. [1][1]
- The architectural firm working with the county also did the plans for restoring the Harris County Courthouse, which was built in 1910. [1][1]
Who said what
- Jason Smith, deputy chief of staff for Montgomery County Judge Mark Keough Funding from the state's courthouse preservation program requires the building to remain a working courthouse. [1][1]
- Jason Smith The county will try to get money from the state for construction in the next legislative session. [1][1]
- Jason Smith The courthouse's wings, which were built decades later, are not part of current plans for restoration. [1][1]
- Jason Smith He would consider asking Conroe to participate in construction costs for the restoration in the future. [1][1]
- Jason Smith Even when a new justice center is built, the current building 'will always be the Montgomery Courthouse.' [1][1]
Sources
- News Montgomery County and Conroe approve agreement to share costs for courthouse rehab design plans Community Impact · Nov 5, 2026
Written by AI from the sources above, under fixed rules: every fact is cited, claims are kept apart from facts, and dollar figures appear only when a source states them. Mistakes get corrected in public.