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Freeport council approves interlocal agreement to coordinate industrial-district negotiations
Summary
The council voted 4–0 to approve an interlocal agreement committing three cities to negotiate the next industrial district agreement together; the city attorney said the measure is a binding framework, not the industrial district agreement itself.
The Freeport City Council voted 4–0 on Feb. 18 to approve an interlocal agreement that commits Freeport and two neighboring cities to negotiate the next industrial district agreement together rather than pursue separate deals.
City attorney Mr. Duncan told the council the item before them was not the industrial district agreement itself but an interlocal contract “between the three cities…to acknowledge certain principles that we will adhere to in our negotiations with industry.” He said the purpose is to bind the cities contractually to remain united during negotiations. “The industrial district is a single district and the cities are going to stay united,” he said.
Mr. Duncan and other speakers said the current industrial district agreement (IDA) expires at the end of the year, and staff expect several more months of negotiations with industry to work out complex issues that were not present in prior IDAs. The council’s vote approved the resolution formalizing those negotiating principles.
The mayor called the motion; Councilman Davis moved to approve the resolution and Councilman Peña seconded. The vote was recorded as unanimous, 4–0.
What happens next: staff and city negotiators will continue discussions with industry partners and with the two partner cities under the terms of the interlocal agreement. Council members noted the IDA’s expiration near year-end as a motivating deadline.
