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Fulshear Fast Track program draws participation but faces council scrutiny; board to provide quarterly updates
Summary
Board members discussed Fulshear Fast Track, an entrepreneurship and small-business support program funded by the EDC. City council members raised concerns about return on investment and whether participants should be limited to city residents; staff reported growing participation and said the program has met board-set metrics to date.
Board members discussed the Fulshear Fast Track entrepreneurship program and recent council feedback questioning the program's return on investment and geographic eligibility.
Staff reported the program has met the metrics the board established at launch and said participation and event attendance have grown; staff gave the example of a social-media workshop that filled 25 seats within days of announcement. The program manager has begun using intake forms to better track participant needs and requested services, which staff said will improve the ability to produce program metrics.
At a recent city council meeting, some council members asked that services be limited to businesses residing inside Fulshear city limits and that sales-tax return be used as an ROI metric. Board members and staff said sales tax is an imperfect near-term metric because many early-stage businesses do not collect sales tax or may not remain in the city. Several board members urged patience for the program, noting that incubator and entrepreneurship programs are long-term efforts that can take many months to generate a measurable sales-tax return.
Board members asked staff to provide regular updates; staff said they would increase reporting and invited board members to attend the program's advisory-board meeting and upcoming sessions to observe programming and participant progress. The board did not take action to change eligibility or funding at the meeting.
