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Denton board frames six-goal economic development work plan, highlights workforce and site-readiness priorities
Summary
At a June 10 work session the Denton Economic Development Partnership Board reviewed retreat outcomes and prioritized six goals — workforce development, business retention, site readiness, customer-service/permitting improvements, partnership building and storytelling — and discussed next steps including a potential industry study and improved data-sharing practices.
The Denton Economic Development Partnership Board used a June 10 work session to translate a March retreat into a six-goal work plan focused on workforce development, business retention and expansion, site readiness, customer-service improvements for permitting, partner engagement and marketing.
Britney (staff) summarized the retreat outcomes and said the board's intent is to share a consolidated work plan with City Council at a work session in July or August. "Our goal is to share this with city council, during an upcoming work session either in July or August," she said, asking board members to submit feedback and prioritize items.
Workforce development topped the discussion: members recommended forming a task force that pulls together universities, school districts, employers and nonprofits (United Way, Workforce Solutions, Chamber and career-technical programs) to identify specific skill gaps and program needs. Several members emphasized the need to bring business HR leaders into the conversation so training partners and higher-education institutions can design relevant curriculum. "Get a permit quickly and get their building open and have people fill it and work," one committee member said, summarizing retreat findings that speed-to-permit and access to qualified workers often matter more to recruiters than the size of incentives.
Data and collaboration: staff flagged a new online hub (opportunityden.com) as a possible repository for workforce resources and discussed a recommendation from the chamber for a shared VRE/BRE CRM. City IT and legal concerns about external access to municipal data prompted a discussion of lower-risk alternatives (survey tools, city-hosted interfaces, or chamber-provided platforms). Britney and chamber representatives agreed to meet to identify feasible options.
Site readiness and recruitment: board members discussed a certified-site program to improve proactive development, and staff proposed asking UNT and other partners to complete targeted industry analyses. Staff estimated an industry study or consultant work to update the economic development strategic plan could cost up to about $50,000 and suggested seeking partner or county contributions to offset city costs.
Mobility and UAS: the board identified unmanned aircraft systems (UAS)/drone testing and mobility startups as recruitment opportunities, citing UNT's research capacity and airport-adjacent land identified in the recent airport master plan as potential assets.
Customer service and permitting: multiple members urged continued work with development services and engineering to streamline checklists and permitting steps; board members recommended inviting the development services director (Charlie Rosenthal) to brief the board on process improvements.
Next steps: members agreed to gather additional feedback from absent participants, consider postponing a council presentation if more review is needed, and schedule the next EDP meeting for late July, with Ben McGill (UNT) tentatively confirmed as a guest presenter. The board adjourned at 12:32 p.m.
The work session emphasized coordination across city departments and community partners and prioritized short-term actions to accelerate permitting and align training to industry needs.
