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Resident urges EDC to re-open Frontier Times funding after procedural concerns
Summary
At a public hearing, a resident praised the Frontier Times Museum but urged the EDC to revisit a previously approved funding award, citing missing performance agreements, an expired bid, and a potential conflict of interest in how the item was presented and approved.
The Bandera Economic Development Corporation opened a public hearing on a previously approved expenditure for the Frontier Times Museum and heard a public commenter raise procedural objections to the award.
Laura Davenport, who gave her address as 311 Cedar Street, said she is "all in favor" of Frontier Times Museum funding but told the board she believed the application was not handled according to the usual process: the application dated 08/14/25 did not appear on an agenda until 12/02/2025, an associated BEDC bid had expired, and no museum representative attended to present or answer questions. Davenport said an EDC board member whose husband serves on the museum board had presented the item and moved the $28,135 approval, and asked the EDC to "bring this back to the board. Start over and do it right." (Resident Laura Davenport)
Board members debated next steps. Several members said they could not locate an executed performance agreement and noted that, under state rules, projects over $10,000 typically require a 60-day waiting period and two public hearings. One member pointed out that a check had been issued and then credited back, leaving unresolved questions about process and timing. A motion was made not to forward the Frontier Times expenditure to the city council and to request that the museum resubmit or appear in person; the motion reflected a desire to ensure a signed performance agreement and full public notice before resubmission.
The transcript contains inconsistent dollar amounts for the item (the hearing record refers to $28,135 in several places and to $228,135 in another agenda line). Board members asked staff to verify the amount and to request the museum appear at a future meeting with a clarified application and a performance agreement. The board did not finalize a monetary decision during the hearing; members agreed to revisit the item once the paperwork and public-notice questions are resolved.
