Friendswood EDC debates five-year lease to expand downtown holiday lighting

Friendswood Downtown Economic Development Corporation members discussed a proposed five-year lease to expand holiday lighting and decorations downtown, including options that would shift installation, storage and refurbishment from the city to an outside vendor.

The discussion centered on cost, scope and timing. Steven (staff member) presented past spending and three package levels from the vendor, noting that since 2019 the city and partners have spent $220,533 on holiday lighting (about $36,000 per year on average) and that the proposed vendor contract would be an all-inclusive five-year lease covering 2025–2029. “This is the lighting, that Decor installed and removal, storage and any refurbishment, replacement from damaged items, over the course of that term,” Steven said.

Why it matters: Board members said the proposal could require the EDC to cover a recurring, multi-year cost that represents a substantial share of the EDC’s annual budget. Board members agreed the item requires more precise cost breakdowns and public process before any commitment.

Key details and debate

Steven said the vendor’s packages vary in scale; the presentation included a bronze package (as presented in the board packet), intermediate options and a gold package that the packet lists at roughly $386,000 a year. He also noted past annual City costs for Stephenson Park were about $46,000 a year and that Hometown Bank has donated $10,000 in recent years toward holiday events.

Board members discussed reducing the proposed footprint to cut costs. Steven said one major cost-saving measure was to put wreaths on every other downtown pole rather than on every pole. “One of the main cost savings... came [from] cut[ting] that in half,” he said. Several members argued for a narrower initial scope (for example, wreaths on poles and replacement of the Stephenson Park tree) rather than signing for the full, most expensive package immediately.

Board members also raised governance and public-notice issues. Steven said, “Because this item is not specifically called out in the original public improvement plan, we would have to have a public hearing, and then the subsequent council action item for approval, before we could realistically get started.” Multiple members noted the timing: installation would need to be completed in November, so any direction or contract decisions would have to move quickly.

Next steps and direction

Board members asked staff to provide a narrower set of cost options for the next workshop and to return cost estimates for a limited footprint (for example, wreaths on every other downtown pole and a replacement tree) before the April 22 workshop. The board did not vote on the proposal; no contract was authorized. Several members emphasized concern about committing the EDC to a recurring cost that could represent 20–25% of the EDC’s annual budget in certain scenarios and asked for options that could be scaled or shared with the city.

Quotes from participants are lifted verbatim from the meeting transcript and attributed to speakers appearing on the record at the meeting.

Ending: The board scheduled further discussion at the April 22 workshop, asked staff for refined cost estimates (including an option limited to wreaths on poles and a new tree in Stephenson Park), and reiterated that any action would require a public hearing and city council approval before a contract could be executed.