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Council discusses creating a city economic‑development manager position; possible funding from EIC under review
Summary
City staff proposed creating a dedicated Economic Development Manager to focus on local business retention, downtown development and small business support; Council asked staff to refine the role and funding and to coordinate with the Economic Improvement Corporation (EIC) and Kerr‑EDC.
City staff presented a proposal on March 11 to create an Economic Development Manager position within the City of Kerrville to focus on business retention, small‑business support, downtown/Main Street initiatives and local retail attraction.
Staff said the proposed role would concentrate on the city limits (as opposed to the regional Kerr EDC), help administer grants and facade‑improvement programs, coordinate with brokers and businesses on site availability, and be the city’s primary liaison for business retention and expansion. Staff presented background on prior Council priorities and said the position is intended to focus on the city’s “small stones” (retention and expansion of existing local employers and retailers) while continuing to coordinate regionally with Kerr‑EDC on larger or primary‑job projects.
On funding, staff described current annual general‑fund sales tax contributions to the Kerr EDC (approximately $68,750 annually) and said the City would propose reappropriating those council allocations in the next fiscal cycle to staff the city position, at least temporarily, while pursuing long‑term funding from the Economic Improvement Corporation (type B sales‑tax) to fully fund the role. Staff described about $10.2 million in general‑fund sales tax receipts and a separate approximately $4.9 million in type‑B sales tax capacity (figures presented as approximate ranges) and said the new position’s work — small business outreach, grant/incentive management, and downtown improvements — is consistent with EIC objectives.
Councilmembers and the mayor expressed support for greater city focus on retention and downtown businesses and asked staff to coordinate with EIC and Kerr‑EDC to clarify roles and avoid silos. Staff said the proposal is at the discussion stage and would return for formal action on job description, funding, and performance measures; no funding vote or hiring decision was made on March 11.
The item concluded as a council discussion with direction to continue refining the proposal and better define coordination between the city position and regional partners.
