Huntsville Council Set to Add About 1,018 Forested Acres to Its ETJ at Owners' Request
Three ordinances up for final approval Tuesday would bring land south of town under Huntsville's subdivision and platting rules after the owners petitioned to join.
The Huntsville City Council is scheduled Tuesday to give final approval to three ordinances that would add about 1,018 acres of mostly forested land south of town to the city’s extraterritorial jurisdiction. The landowners asked for it.
Ordinances 2026-30, 2026-31 and 2026-32 are second readings on the consent agenda for the Oct. 20 meeting, according to the posted agenda. A 5 p.m. workshop on the city’s strategic plan for economic vitality comes first. The regular session starts at 6 p.m. in Council Chambers, Room 150, at City Hall, 1212 Avenue M.
What the landowners asked for
According to the meeting packet, BS Investors Worldwide asked to include about 51.2 acres of the T.R. Peel survey. Its managers are Jacob Slott and Greg Buckner. City staff describe the tract as mostly forested land south of Lonestar Road and west of Interstate 45.
TW Keeland LTD filed the other two petitions. The first covers about 410.092 acres in the J. Whitley survey and about 234.370 acres in the M. De Chaume survey. Staff place that land adjoining and south of Vick Spring Road, east of I-45. The second covers about 20 acres of the Peel survey plus about 152.820 and 150 acres of the Whitley survey, south of Lonestar Road and west of I-45. The six tracts total roughly 1,018 acres, and about 967 of those acres are in the two Keeland petitions.
A welcome sign at the edge of Huntsville, which bills itself as the home of Sam Houston. Photo: WhisperToMe / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain.
Staff wrote that each applicant attested the land is contiguous to the city’s existing ETJ or city limits. Each also “agrees that the property will immediately become subject to City subdivision regulations, infrastructure design standards, and platting controls.” And each accepted that the land stays in the ETJ “unless the City Council agrees to release the ETJ.” The staff reports list the financial implications as “None.” The Planning Commission recommended the petitions on Sept. 17, and staff recommends approval.
The council has already approved all three petitions once. Draft minutes of the Oct. 6 meeting, included in the packet, show each passed 7-0. Councilmember Jon Strong recused himself from those items, left the chambers at 6:51 p.m. and returned at 7:08 p.m. The minutes do not give a reason.
Why owners would opt in
The ETJ is the unincorporated band outside a city’s limits where the city can enforce some development rules. Under Chapter 42 of the Local Government Code, being in an ETJ “does not by itself authorize the municipality to impose a tax in the area.” Section 42.022(b), the provision these petitions cite, lets an ETJ grow past its normal distance limits when the owners of adjoining land request it.
The same chapter now also lets residents, or owners of a majority in value of an area, petition to be released from an ETJ. Land released that way cannot be brought back in unless the owner asks. In Huntsville, the owners are asking to come in. The packet does not say what they plan to build.
Each ordinance takes effect 10 days after final passage, and the city must publish its caption twice within 10 days. Neighboring Montgomery County has been pressing for more say over growth outside city limits, as Dock Line reported in Montgomery County Asks Austin for Power to Regulate Growth in Unincorporated Areas.
Also on Tuesday’s agenda
A $102,021.25 contract with Evoqua Water Technologies for new decant valves at the AJ Brown Wastewater Treatment Facility.
$124,855.26 for computers and servers on the FY 2027 replacement schedule, plus a first reading on $785,641.49 for core server, data storage, network and battery-backup equipment and services.
An amended task order with Stuart Consultants, up to $200,000, to help with FEMA disaster DR-4781.
A closed-session consultation with the city attorney on “the appointment, employment, evaluation, reassignment, and duties of Fire Chief Greg Mathis.” Any action would come in open session.
Closed-door deliberation on economic development negotiations with Tenaska Inc.
Mayor Russell Humphrey is also slated to present proclamations recognizing Clyde “Kooter” Roberson’s induction into the Radio Hall of Fame, Domestic Violence Awareness Month and First Responder Appreciation Day.
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