At a Dec. 2 workshop the Argyle Municipal Development District reviewed its economic assistance/incentive application and related policies, focusing on applicant visibility, eligibility checks and how the district should require or verify financial and tax standing.

Board members said the prior MDD website subscription had been discontinued and that the incentive application needs to be migrated to the town's Economic Development page. "It's not on the website," a board member said, urging a prominent link. Harrison, MDD staff, confirmed the application will be added to the town site and said staff can create a drop-down link under "Economic Development."

Members debated the scope of required attachments. The application currently lists a "tax certificate" and staff suggested specifying a tax-certificate from the Texas comptroller and Denton County; board members also discussed asking for EIN (if available), certificate of formation and the last public information report from the Texas Secretary of State for verification of good standing. Members discussed the limits of such checks, noting payroll tax and Texas Workforce Commission reporting are harder to verify automatically.

The board discussed clawback (recapture) provisions for grants when a business fails early. Counsel/staff said clawbacks have generally been drafted on a case-by-case basis but that the board could provide guideline language; board members suggested allowing some flexibility in repayment schedules.

Several members voiced concern that grantees have not consistently submitted post-award performance reports. The staff recommended adding a reporting disclaimer in the application to notify applicants that reporting may be required as part of any agreement and to standardize expected reporting where practical. Members recognized the district currently lacks a dedicated contract manager and said the reporting regime should scale to the MDD's size.

Chair confirmed this was a workshop item and asked Harrison to draft recommended amendments and return them for board action. No formal amendments or votes were taken during the meeting.