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Council declines to endorse third-party EDC and directs city manager to coordinate a regional strategic plan
Summary
Following concern that a third-party economic-development organization might act without transparency, the Bastrop City Council unanimously declined to back the outside proposal and directed the city manager to work with Smithville and Elgin to develop a collaborative, interlocal strategic plan for regional economic development.
City Manager Sylvia reported on recent conversations among Bastrop, Smithville and Elgin about a countywide economic-development entity and recommended the three cities first agree on a strategic plan rather than immediately forming a third-party organization. She said a prior staff member had represented herself externally as an executive director of such an organization, which raised transparency and representation concerns.
Council members discussed governance, transparency, performance metrics and regional fairness—arguing that any initiative should be jointly driven by the cities and subject to open-meeting rules. Council ultimately voted unanimously to deny or set aside the county’s proposed resolution in its present form and directed the city manager to engage with neighboring city managers and EDC directors to craft a collaboratively owned strategic plan and interlocal agreement. The council emphasized measurable return, transparency and protection of smaller communities’ interests during future economic-development arrangements.
