Anna EDC and CDC review 2025–26 budgets; board asks for clearer marketing KPIs

City of Anna Economic Development Corporation (EDC) and Community Development Corporation (CDC) members discussed proposed fiscal 2025–26 budgets and strategic priorities at a June 19 joint meeting in Anna Municipal Complex, asking staff to provide clearer marketing performance measures and return with a final budget for board approval in July.

The discussion matters because the CDC and EDC control dedicated sales-tax revenues and reserve funds used for business incentives, land acquisition and downtown grants. Staff reported substantial fund balances and projected revenue growth that could fund incentives and downtown projects if the board approves the final plan.

Mr. Parker, presenting the budget, outlined revenue and expenditure assumptions for both the CDC (type B) and EDC (type A). He said fiscal 2024 actual CDC sales-tax receipts were about $3.2 million and that total CDC receipts including interest and other revenue reached about $3,700,000. He described a proposed CDC operational budget of $3,446,331 and said staff is budgeting conservatively for a projected 12% sales-tax increase for budgeting purposes, which would put next-year CDC sales-tax receipts near $3.6 million. He said the CDC fund balance at fiscal year-end 2024 stood at roughly $8,000,233 and projected an estimated fund balance of around $7.7–8.0 million depending on projects and market interest rates.

Staff described the EDC fund balance at just over $6 million and projected similar near-term revenue and expenditure patterns. Parker said both boards’ unspent funds remain within their separate accounts and are not transferred to the city general fund. “We don’t lose any of our money. It stays within our fund,” he said.

Discussion focused on programmatic priorities and measurable outcomes. Board members pressed staff for clearer key performance indicators (KPIs) for marketing and trade-show spending, asking that metrics tie directly to jobs created, tax impact, leads generated and conversion rates. One board member asked for a “conversion rate” from media placements and trade-show contacts to actual developer interest; Parker agreed to follow up. Parker said the marketing contract portfolio had been reduced and partly moved in-house, cutting contract services from roughly $343,000 to $190,000 in the proposed budget to capture savings and reallocate funds.

Staff said they are considering adding one marketing or digital-outreach position, with an estimated annual salary range of $45,000–$55,000 aligned with the city pay plan, to strengthen business retention and social-media outreach. The board signaled conditional support for the position if staff can justify the return.

Other line items discussed included grants and incentives (about one-third of the CDC budget), debt service (about 19%), and land acquisition (about 15%). Parker told the board that incentive agreements include clawback provisions tied to job creation or recurring sales-tax thresholds. He said some debt will be paid off this year, including an approximately $660,000 payment tied to revenue dedicated from Walmart, which will free capacity for future projects.

Staff outlined proposed downtown property acquisition and façade/grantee programs included in a roughly $1 million slate of downtown incentives and grants. For marketing, Parker said the city will continue targeted recruitment in markets such as Dallas and areas where suitable industry clusters exist and will tailor campaigns—for example, outreach to medical professionals when recruiting healthcare uses.

Natasha (staff) gave a director’s report noting upcoming outreach and events, including a developers forum on July 17 at the Anna Municipal Complex and community events in July. Selena Tittle was identified as leading the business retention program and was credited for recent outreach to local businesses.

No final budget vote occurred at the June 19 meeting. Parker said the boards will review the budget again at their July 10 meeting and then forward the budget to City Council for final approval in August, per the boards’ bylaws and charter process. The boards moved a small number of procedural items—approval of prior meeting minutes and a motion to enter closed session—which were adopted by voice vote without individual roll-call votes recorded in the transcript.

Votes at a glance: - Motion to approve minutes for May 1 (EDC and CDC): approved by voice vote, unanimous; individual votes not recorded in transcript. - Motion to approve minutes for May 22 special joint meeting (EDC and CDC): approved by voice vote, unanimous; individual votes not recorded in transcript. - Motion to move into closed session under Texas Government Code sections 551.071, 551.072, 551.074 and 551.087: approved by voice vote, unanimous; no action reported on return to open session.

Board direction and next steps included staff commitments to provide ROI/conversion metrics for recent marketing campaigns and trade-show activity, refine KPIs that link marketing spend to jobs and tax revenue, and return with a final budget for board action at the July 10 meeting. The boards did not adopt any new incentives or land purchases at the June 19 meeting.

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