Mark Keough

B.A Interdisciplinary Studies from Cedarville University M.Div. (Master of Divinity) from Grace Theological Seminary ST.M. (Master of Sacred Theology) from Dallas Seminary...

County Judge Mark J. Keough has been serving Montgomery County, Texas, since his election in 2018, and is currently in his second term which began on January 1, 2023. As County Judge, he manages the daily operations of the county government and presides over the Montgomery County Commissioners...

I am running for re-election because my record as County Judge speaks for itself. During my tenure I have fostered an environment of transparency, accountability and ethics all while delivering tax relief, removing tolls on paid off roads, instituting a ethics commission with necessary teeth to hold public officials accountable, and keeping Montgomery County citizens safe through fostering a culture of deterrence and implementing robust emergency preparedness and response plans. For my next term I will be leveraging our relationship with TxDOT to bring additional state and federal dollars to Montgomery County to assist with our local growth and transportation needs, which will assist with my plan to continue to push for the no-new-revenue tax rate, leveraging the upcoming county wide mobility plan. I will be developing a county wide master plan for facilities, infrastructure and capital improvement as we are coming to the point where we will need to make some hard decisions on a new jail and new courthouse to address all our growth and aging infrastructure. I will continue to foster a climate of stable government working for the people of Montgomery County and not against them.

The RPT Platform is 48 pages long and we can all agree that we will not agree on every word of the platform. However, I fully support the 10 core principles of the Platform and the vast majority thereof and will continue as County Judge, as I have already demonstrated, to support the platform to the absolute...

Yes, Montgomery County already adopts a zero-base budget technique on more than 60% of our expenses in every department. I believe this process has produced significant savings over the years. Over the last 7 budget cycles that I have presided over as your County Judge, I have kept my commitment that I made in...

I absolutely support this right. As a former State Representative, I fully supported the rights of parents to choose to limit immunizations based on religious or philosophical grounds and received numerous awards for my votes in the Texas House of Representatives based on these ideals. Additionally, as County...

These records are made available online through the county’s website in near real time via the Financial Transparency Portal which is prominently listed on the homepage. We also publish our finalized certified audits (internal and external) and our monthly transparency compliance reports online in addition to each...

The most recent American Community Survey based estimates indicate that the current median household income in Montgomery County is about $97,266 per year (in 2023 inflation adjusted dollars). According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the current estimate of per capita personal income in...

During my tenure as County Judge, one of my very first accomplishments was working with our state legislators to enact specific law for Montgomery County to establish a Montgomery County Ethics Commission and subsequent ethics policies. The Montgomery County Ethics Policy is stronger today than...

Texas law is very specific on this issue. Public-private partnerships are authorized to be used to develop, finance, construct, operate, and maintain roadways under comprehensive development agreements. The statutes only allow for TxDOT, and certain regional toll or mobility authorities to enter into P3 agreements...

Religious and moral values absolutely have a role in county governance. As the County Judge, my Christian faith informs my ethical foundation and decision making, and shapes how I approach fiscal responsibility, public safety, and support for vulnerable people. My constituents rightfully expect to know...

Currently at the time of this questionnaire I am endorsed by: Constable Philip Cash, Constable David Eason, Former Sheriff Tommy Gage, Former Sheriff Joe Corley, Former Constable Gene DeForest, Houston Police Officers Association PAC, Mayor John Escoto, and Mayor Paul Bond. I am not related by any degree...

As your County Judge, my priority is keeping Montgomery County moving without burying future generations in reckless debt. We are now one of the fastest-growing counties in the entire nation, and rank in the top 10 fastest growing counties in the United States for growth adding over 30,000 new residents in just the last year alone. This growth is a testament to our conservative values, low taxes, and strong economy, but also means more cars are on our roads every single day. To protect our quality of life and keep traffic flowing, I support data-driven bond packages that funds only essential mobility projects, not wish-list items. I have accomplished this by seeking out and securing nearly $1 million in federal funding to complete the very first county wide mobility study that kicked off in December 2025. I also secured an additional $11.7 million dollars in federal funding to institute intelligent transportation systems in Montgomery County. The installation of this system will make Montgomery County the first county in Texas to be fully integrated with the latest technology that allows our traffic engineers to have the data, capability, and technology to adjust traffic signals and timing in real time with the assistance of artificial intelligence to minimize traffic congestion and travel times with the current infrastructure we have in place now. My commitment is to maximize the value of our current infrastructure and limit any new spending to strictly that which is needed to address congestion on major thoroughfares and safety improvements.

In 2020, I pleaded guilty to a DUI charge that stemmed from an accident and subsequent arrest due to a sleep aid medication (Ambien) that I had taken the night prior to the accident and for which I had a legal prescription. To be clear, there were no illicit drugs or alcohol in my system at the time of the accident. I...