EDCA president warns cuts to economic‑development funding will slow downtown work, cites $6M fund balance

Brian White, president of the EDCA board, told the Fulshear City Council that pulling sales‑tax money away from the EDCA to fund other priorities would have concrete consequences for downtown development.

"Multiple properties in the downtown district cannot be developed until these drainage projects are done. That is a fact," White said, urging council to consider the downstream effect of reducing EDCA revenues. He highlighted two priorities in the packet — a West Side drainage project and downtown (Wall) Street reconstruction — and said those projects are prerequisites for commercial development in the downtown district.

White told council the EDCA fund balance is "roughly $6,000,000" and that even modest allocations to large projects can deplete the fund quickly. He offered project cost ranges to illustrate the scale: a parking garage ($10 million to $25 million), drainage projects ($5 million to $10 million) and a potential underpass instead of an overpass (about $10 million). "We can spend that money very quickly," White said.

Council members asked for more specificity about which projects have EDC allocations in the packet; staff explained the EDC column shows amounts spent or allocated to date and that many of the projects discussed have not been committed to by the EDCs. Staff and White also discussed specific agreements such as a sales‑tax reimbursement to Fulshear Central capped at $1 million over a 10‑year period and noted that contractual and legal questions could arise if allocations change.

On the Wall Street/West Side detention pond, city staff said the pond was designed as part of the Wall Street project and that the city's base cost is capped at $2.6 million payable over seven years (about $371,000 annually), while any enhancements or upsizing beyond the base scope would be the city's responsibility; staff noted the county is handling construction and some schedule uncertainty exists. David, the city staff member who prepared the sheet, confirmed that current estimates show project kickoff in 2026 with city expenditures starting in 2027 under present assumptions.

Council discussed alternatives including revenue bonds; a staff member noted EDCs "do have the option to actually do revenue bonds as well," but counseled that bond repayment and financial modeling would require further analysis. No formal vote was taken on EDCA allocations during the presentation; council members agreed to continue reviewing fund balances, project priorities and budget tradeoffs during the budget process.

White and staff emphasized tradeoffs: using EDCA dollars to accelerate development would support long‑term sales‑tax growth, while diverting those dollars could accelerate public‑safety spending but at the cost of delaying infrastructure necessary for commercial development.