Cleveland EDC reviews proposed FY 2026 budget, funds Hangar L work and $11,000 website upgrade

The Cleveland Economic Development Corporation discussed a proposed fiscal year 2026 budget at a special July workshop, with staff highlighting allocations for Hangar L capital expenditures and an $11,000 increase to explore a new EDC website, EDC staff said.

EDC Director Emilio said the budget frames the corporation’s programmatic goals around “creating primary jobs by attracting investment” and expanding the local tax base. “We’re really falling behind is our website,” Emilio said, and described the $11,000 increase as intended to preserve the EDC’s available-properties viewer and add improved functionality for developers and brokers.

The budget presentation grouped changes into operating expenses, projects and incentives. Staff recommended increased legal services to support active project evaluation and contract work and reduced line items for legal publications and travel in some areas. Property-service funding was proposed for twice-yearly mowing of EDC-owned parcels to maintain appearances.

For projects, Emilio said the budget would allocate funds for capital expenditures related to Hangar L, noting that the acquisition earlier this year had used fund balance and that the proposed FY 2026 budget includes specific project funding for erection and related capital work. The presentation did not specify a dollar amount for those Hangar L capital expenditures.

The budget keeps a $200,000 allocation for manufacturing and industrial incentives that staff said is currently unencumbered and available for potential large projects. A business incentive grant program (formerly the façade improvement program) is proposed at $150,000 to support local business improvements; staff said interest has been expressed but no applications had been submitted as of the meeting.

Staff recommended continued investment in industrial recruitment tools. That includes subscriptions such as CoStar to provide demographic and off-market property data used to respond to requests for information (RFIs) from the governor’s office and regional partners, and funding for external consultants who will run a targeted digital outreach campaign to about 10,000 businesses.

Director Emilio also noted training and conference funding for board members, including a sales-tax workshop run by the Texas Economic Development Corporation and the TDC annual conference in San Antonio. “We will have a public hearing, on Tuesday the fifth, which is our regular next regular scheduled board meeting as well as proposed adoption of this budget in terms of a recommendation to council,” Emilio said; the meeting packet lists the proposed FY 2026 budget as the document for review.

Discussion and Board action at the workshop included agreeing to hold the public hearing and to forward the proposed budget to the board’s next regular meeting for a formal recommendation to city council. The board also voted earlier in the meeting to approve consent agenda items 7 and 8 by motion; the motion carried unanimously. The board deferred appointment of EDC officers until the regular August meeting because two regular members were absent.

Why it matters: The proposed FY 2026 budget sets the EDC’s priorities and funding levels for recruitment, incentives and downtown and park improvements that staff said are intended to attract investment and expand the city’s tax base.

A public hearing on the proposed budget is scheduled at the board’s next regular meeting; the board will consider a formal recommendation to city council after that hearing.