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Ennis seeks $1M TXCDBG, approves $50,000 match and a pilot HOT program to support tourism events
Summary
The commission approved applying for a Texas Community Development Block Grant (downtown revitalization) with a $50,000 local match and created a pilot hotel-occupancy-tax program to fund qualifying tourism events; staff emphasized documentation and heads-and-beds reporting standards.
The Ennis City Commission unanimously approved a resolution to apply for the Texas Department of Agriculture's downtown revitalization TXCDBG program (maximum award $1,000,000) and authorized a $50,000 local match. Commissioners asked staff to correct an error in the resolution that had listed $100,000 in the section on local commitment; the motion passed with that correction.
Miriam Castillo, the city's director of economic development, told the commission the grant would support downtown sidewalk, lighting, ADA and streetscape improvements and that staff had identified South-side downtown needs to strengthen a competitive application. Castillo said the application is a two-phase process (letter of intent then full application) with the final application due in August and possible award announcements in the fall; local coordination between public works, parks and the EDC would shape final project scope.
Separately, the commission approved a pilot program establishing guidelines to use hotel-occupancy-tax (HOT) funds for eligible tourism-promoting events for FY25–26, appropriating up to $50,000 for the pilot. Staff emphasized the state comptroller's "heads and beds" test: eligible expenditures must demonstrably increase overnight stays. The pilot application package sets documentation and reporting requirements (including use of cell-phone-derived tools such as Placer.ai) and requires reimbursement-based claims with thorough supporting materials.
Commissioners asked how projects would be selected and how funds would be apportioned across downtown. Staff said selection would consider the amount requested, likely heads-and-beds yield and prior event performance; staff will advertise the pilot to nonprofit event organizers, serve as the liaison for applicants and compare applications against available data. The commission approved both the TXCDBG application (with the corrected local-match figure) and the HOT pilot program.
