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BASTROP — After the Bastrop Economic Development Corporation voted last week to suspend support for a regional economic development corporation spearheaded by the county, City Council took the measure a step further.
Council members March 9 asked City Manager Sylvia Carrillo-Trevino to reach out to Elgin and Smithville officials. The city looks to discuss developing their own regional economic collaborative.
“We should be working in lockstep. Working on our strengths, supporting our weaknesses and working in collaboration,” Carrillo-Trevino said.
The city manager added it can get difficult when developers are looking at Bastrop County as a potential home for multiple new sites. She said there is typically one city that can serve any particular company best, but the other cities can still benefit.
The original concept for a countywide partnership would have created a new agency to run the initiative. It would not be subject to open meeting acts and would potentially mix public and private funds, according to officials.
After meeting with city representatives, the county agreed to create a strategic plan for consideration before any additional steps were taken. But while city leaders were waiting on the plan to be developed, a website was launched calling for investors, implying the cities had already reached an agreement.
This premature launch of the corporation before the Bastrop had agreed to participate caused the EDC to vote to suspend support for the initiative until the issue was cleared up, and the council followed suit.
“I firmly believe that it is still a good idea to create a strategic plan, however I would like the council to consider that the plan be worked on by the three cities,” said EDC Board Member and Bastrop Mayor Ishmael Harris. “There’s a need to not only protect our cities but protect the region and how its developed, and who benefits from it.”
