Andy Meyer, Fort Bend County commissioner for Precinct 3, told a joint meeting of the City Council and the Stafford Economic Development Corporation on Oct. 21 that the county is advancing several measures that could affect Stafford, including an interlocal agreement for street milling and resurfacing, a push to create industrial development districts and planning for advanced‑nuclear‑related workforce development.

The commissioner said Fort Bend County will consider an interlocal agreement on its Thursday agenda to mill and resurface several Stafford streets — Center Street, Oak Street, Perez Street, Buena Vista Street and Deborah Street — and that a preliminary agreement on improvements to Pike Road was also under way. He told the council the city’s approval would allow the county to place the interlocal on the Commissioners Court docket and begin work.

Why this matters: County road work would directly affect Stafford residents and businesses in the named neighborhoods, and Meyer's economic development proposals aim to increase the county’s commercial tax base rather than rely predominantly on residential property taxes.

Meyer said the county last week created the Fort Bend Economic Development Opportunities Committee, which he co‑chairs, to develop strategies to attract industry. “The idea is to... position Fort Bend County to attract more industry into our county,” Meyer said. He told council members the county’s tax base is heavily residential — which he described as unsustainable long term — and that industrial development would help diversify revenues.

To speed up industrial site delivery, Meyer said he has proposed legislation to allow counties to create industrial development districts similar in some powers to municipal utility districts (MUDs): districts that could issue debt and levy taxes or fees to build pad‑ready industrial sites. He said counties currently face long lead times to have industrial sites ready for large investors, which puts the region at a competitive disadvantage.

Meyer also discussed the 36A corridor project, a route he supports that would connect improvements at the Port of Freeport to inland distribution centers, and argued that moving containers over land to Dallas would boost opportunities for Fort Bend County to capture international trade and related industrial investment.

On energy, Meyer described work at the state level to position Texas for advanced nuclear reactors and said the county is in early discussions with universities about workforce development for the nuclear supply chain and plant operations. “We put together a plan that eventually became a bill that was passed this legislative session,” he said, adding that advanced nuclear development would create demand for manufacturers and training programs in the region.

Council members and staff asked about siting limits for power plants and who the Stafford point of contact would be. Meyer said any new power‑generation facilities would most logically be sited adjacent to existing plants because infrastructure is already in place, and he identified Carlos Guzman as the county’s head of economic development as the Stafford point person for county economic development matters. The city’s public works director, Chris Rigg, was identified by council members as the staff lead on streetwork coordination.

No formal county action was taken at the Stafford meeting; Meyer said the interlocal agreement will appear on the Fort Bend County agenda and will require the county’s Commissioners Court action. The council and SEDC members thanked Meyer for the briefing and said they would continue coordination with county staff.

Ending: Meyer told Stafford officials he will remain available for two more months under the current term and encouraged the city to engage the county economic development office and the newly formed committee as planning continues.