Resident criticizes EDC governance and raises concerns about DMD funding

Joe Wilburn, a Dickinson resident, used the meeting’s public-comment period to criticize the city’s economic development governance and the distribution of public funds.

Wilburn said the city pays roughly $150,000 for an economic development corporation (EDC) director and argued that the position answers to too many bosses, which he said has diluted accountability for projects. “Back when I was on EDC, we was paying a 150,000, a little more probably, for an EDC director. And that EDC director had 14 bosses,” Wilburn said.

Wilburn also questioned how the Dickinson Municipal Development (DMD) allocates funds and raised a specific concern about an agenda item to provide $300,000 to College of the Mainland. He told council members that a former mayor’s appointee who lives outside the city retains a seat that controls spending decisions, and he warned that past projects paid for through relationships had not produced clear benefits for taxpayers. “We have unfinished projects from years back, and, we also have a problem with the DMD,” Wilburn said.

Why it matters: Wilburn framed his remarks around accountability for public spending and the effectiveness of local economic-development efforts. He said taxpayers are still waiting for infrastructure such as paved streets and drainage improvements while public money moves to projects he described as benefitting friends.

Council members did not take formal action during the public-comment period; the remarks were not responded to in detail during the workshop. Wilburn’s comments flag issues the council may address in future agenda items regarding EDC governance, DMD appointments and funding approvals.