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Hutto EDC previews $746,608 FY2027 proposed budget, flags cuts and new program investments
Summary
EDC director Chaney Gamboa presented the board with the proposed FY2027 budget that reduces some line items (attorney services, holidays) while funding new marketing, trade-show participation and entrepreneurship supports; staff asked the board for feedback ahead of a June 8 budget approval.
Chaney Gamboa, director of economic development and executive director to the Hutto Economic Development Corporation, presented the proposed FY2027 budget and asked the board for feedback and direction rather than immediate approval.
"As you'll see throughout the presentation, we did try to align with what we understand the strategic plan to be at this time as well as some of the KPIs that have been agreed upon," Gamboa said, outlining the document's priorities. She reported the proposed FY2027 total at $746,608.30, framed in the context of the adopted FY26 budget ($612,271.60) and an adjusted FY26 figure that exceeded $1.1 million due to midyear amendments.
Gamboa identified notable decreases and reallocations: attorney services would fall from $125,000 in FY26 to $75,000; the Corporation's longstanding $50,000 contribution to "Holidays and Huddle" would be reduced to $1,500 by leveraging hotel occupancy tax funding; and a previously amended $40,000 consulting line for TIRS work was zeroed out for general use, with staff recommending developers pay any project-specific consultant fees.
She also highlighted proposed new or expanded investments: $2,500 for small-business-week appreciation events, $3,000 for expanded food/meals tied to site visits, higher trade-show participation and travel, upgrades to website functionality (plugins for listing available real estate and GIS mapping), and a CRM consolidation to better track business engagement. "We can bring more details about [the website upgrades]," she said, noting cost estimates for key plugins and the intent to share both ClearGov access and an editable Excel spreadsheet with the board for line-by-line review.
The board asked staff to coordinate with other city departments (engineering, parks) and external partners (the Chamber, Opportunity Austin) before finalizing project budgets. Gamboa said the Corporation aims to have a budget approval at the June 8 meeting, and she invited feedback starting the week after the May 11 meeting. The board did not take a final vote on the budget at this session.
