The Woodlands Township will replace its civilian mounted patrol with commissioned sheriff's deputies on horseback starting in 2027. The board of directors voted 6-0 on Thursday, Sept. 17, to end a more than 30-year relationship with Alpha & Omega Mounted Patrol.

The new unit, staffed by the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office (MCSO), will cost the township about $1.37 million a year. Township staff estimates that saves roughly $133,000 annually compared with Alpha & Omega's proposed 2027 contract of $1.62 million, according to Community Impact.

The trade-off: nearly $955,000 in one-time startup costs for horses, trucks, trailers, facilities and equipment. The township plans to cover that with $600,000 from delayed implementation of 2027 MCSO pay parity and $354,876 from its 2026 undesignated fund balance.

Township President and CEO Monique Sharp presented the proposal. The board authorized her to negotiate and execute a final agreement with Montgomery County, subject to review by township legal counsel. No signed agreement has been released.

What changes for residents

Alpha & Omega's contract expires Dec. 31. Its troopers are civilian courtesy patrol. They cannot detain anyone, make arrests or take law enforcement action, according to the township's Q&A on the transition.

The MCSO unit will launch with one sergeant, six deputies, seven horses, two one-ton trucks and two four-horse trailers. Deputies will have direct access to law enforcement dispatch, communications and databases.

Unlike Alpha & Omega's contract, which funded 387 patrol hours per week, the MCSO model does not guarantee a set number of hours. The sheriff's office will decide how and where to deploy coverage, with the possibility of overtime.

Public comment and the vote

Several uniformed Alpha & Omega employees attended the Thursday, Sept. 17, meeting. Jennifer Clifton, a 14-year Alpha & Omega employee, urged the board to gather more information before voting.

Resident Penny Prater spoke about experiencing an assault at The Woodlands Mall in 2019 and said the area needed more law enforcement presence.

Board Vice Chair Craig Eissler acknowledged Alpha & Omega's long service before casting his vote.

"Thirty years is a long time; it's not taken for granted, and we very much appreciate that. But we do have the opportunity to enhance those services with true law enforcement ... and for less cost," Eissler said, as first reported by Community Impact.

Chairman Brad Bailey was absent from the meeting.

Cost debate

The $133,000 savings figure is the township staff's estimate, measured against Alpha & Omega's proposed 2027 rate increase. Before the vote, Alpha & Omega founder, president and CEO Frank P. Keller asked the board to pause, arguing in a Sept. 15 public letter that the financial picture had shifted. Compared with Alpha & Omega's current 2026 rate of about $1.45 million, the MCSO recurring cost is only about $75,000 lower, Woodlands Online reported.

The first-year total, including startup costs, comes to about $2.33 million.

No timeline for executing the final MCSO agreement has been announced. The township has not released the full text of the agreement.