The Woodlands Township mounted patrol is not going away, but it could look different before year's end.

The Township published a formal Q&A on Thursday, Sept. 3, stating it is evaluating whether to replace the current private security contract with Alpha & Omega with commissioned Montgomery County Sheriff's Office deputies on horseback.

"Mounted patrol is not going away," Township Board Chairman Brad Bailey said in the Q&A. "We are evaluating how to make it stronger, more capable and more accountable to the community we serve."

No deal with MCSO has been reached. The Township said a complete cost proposal will be presented at a future public Board meeting before any final vote.

Why the change

The Q&A cited two liability concerns.

Alpha & Omega patrols areas that include privately owned Town Center property. The Township's contract requires license agreements with those property owners to authorize the patrols and shield the Township from liability. Key Town Center property owners have not signed those agreements, creating what the Township called "an unnecessary risk."

A&O patrol personnel also generally ride personally owned horses while performing Township-contracted work, adding another layer of potential liability.

Under an MCSO model, the Sheriff's Office would own and manage the horses and handle their care, training and deployment.

A&O submitted its 2027 proposal to the Township on May 8, requesting increased hours at increased cost while continuing the same courtesy patrol model. The Township said the proposal did not materially change or enhance A&O's existing scope of services.

What A&O troopers can and can't do

The Township distinguished between A&O's civilian courtesy patrol and commissioned law enforcement. A&O "troopers" cannot detain or arrest anyone. They are not connected to MCSO's law enforcement communications system. If an A&O trooper witnesses a crime, calling 911 is the most direct way to get law enforcement dispatched.

MCSO deputies would carry full arrest authority and direct access to law enforcement databases and dispatch.

Hours and cost

The current A&O contract funds 387 patrol hours per week, equal to about 9.7 full-time positions. The Township said it does not fund 35 full-time A&O positions, as some had claimed.

MCSO's preliminary cost estimate covers deputy salaries and benefits, a sergeant, mounted uniforms, veterinary and farrier care, feed and equipment. The Township would be invoiced only for expenses actually incurred, with access to all supporting documentation. A&O, by contrast, charges an hourly rate per employee category that includes overhead and profit margin.

No dollar figures for either the current contract or the MCSO proposal have been made public.

What happens next

A&O's contract expires Dec. 31. The 2027 proposed budget includes mounted patrol funding placed in the law enforcement line to give the Board flexibility to pursue the MCSO option.

If the Board ultimately decides to keep a private security model, the Township said it would issue a request for proposals. A&O and other qualifying companies would be eligible to bid.

Bailey said in an Aug. 20 Board statement reported by Hello Woodlands: "No company is entitled to taxpayer dollars simply because it has held a contract for many years."

The date of the public Board meeting where the MCSO proposal will be presented has not been announced.