Economic development staff reviews federal, state toolset; PACE program stakeholders thank city
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Summary
Economic development staff summarized federal and state grant and incentive programs under review, noted outreach paused during the federal government shutdown and described plans for a centralized web clearinghouse; public commenters thanked the city for establishing a PACE program and a developer urged help completing a development agreement.
At the end of public comments and later in the meeting (agenda item 3F), city economic development staff presented a review of federal, state and local economic-development tools and the city's plans to centralize program information on a new web clearinghouse.
During public comment, Glenn Silva, chief operating officer for Lone Star PACE, thanked the committee for establishing the City of Garland PACE program and offered Lone Star PACE's assistance. Silva said, "Thank you all for establishing the City of Garland PACE program. I think that we go so fast these days, we forget to just thank others for the things that y'all have done." He provided his company address for the record.
Fred Ganz, owner of Garages of America, spoke about a separate development agreement delay and urged the city to help finalize a development services agreement tied to PACE financing and servicer arrangements. Ganz said his project was two-and-a-half to three months delayed and that financing uncertainty made closing "a little scary." He asked the city for more timely communication from staff so the project could close.
Kimberly Garduno, business development manager in Economic Development (presenting on behalf of Director Ayako Schuster), outlined a list of federal and state tools staff is evaluating, including federal programs such as foreign-trade zones and economic adjustment assistance, and state programs including the Texas Enterprise Zone and Workforce/Skills Development funds. Garduno said some federal outreach was delayed by the federal government shutdown and that staff continues to evaluate small-business supports (for example LIFT Fund) and to coordinate with partner organizations such as the Chamber and the library. She said the department is building a centralized economic development web page and expects a site launch by year end to serve as a resource clearinghouse.
Council members asked about staffing and implementation; Garduno said some programs (for example LiftFund) are largely administered by partners and typically require the city to promote and connect businesses rather than run the entire program, so staff additions may not be necessary. The committee asked staff to return with additional recommendations and to continue developing the website and partner connections for small-business support.