Goals

Goals, objectives, and strategies resulting from the Regional Assessment of the WCTEDD area are detailed below. Click to view associated performance measures.

Goal 1

Create a Regional Economic Innovation Hub that provides virtual regional and county data, provides technical assistance in data interpretation and provides infrastructure necessary to affect positive economic development.

Objective A: Create a “one-stop” website with CEDS data and links to economic
development focused websites.

Strategy 1: Locate host agency to house and maintain website.
Strategy 2: Market website, data collection and technical assistance for data Interpretation.
Strategy 3: Provide data and interpretation to regional entities upon request.

Objective B: Provide support to Economic Development Corporations, upon request, to procure additional resources for the region

Strategy 1: Provide technical support, upon request, to secure legislation, financing and infrastructure to the West Central Texas Economic Development District and West Central Texas Council of Governments 19-county region.
Strategy 2: Provide technical assistance in locating and assisting entity to secure Texas Veteran’s Commission funding to provide resources for veterans. The funding will be used to provide support and other services to insure work readiness skills are maximized for self-sufficiency.

Goal 2

To mentor, counsel and assist local and new businesses, and particularly small and mid-size businesses, through the expansion of financial assistance and advisory services.

Objective A: Expand the size and scope of allocated federal loan assistance and revolving loan funds to the region.

Strategy 1: Market availability of loans to the regional interests.
Strategy 2: Consult with all entities inquiring about business acquisitions, start-up and financial assistance
Strategy 3: Fund three to six loans to the region. Get fixed rate long term loans through SBA, EDA and revolving loan funds.
Strategy 4: Coordinate and create opportunities to leverage resources with existing programs such as Small Business Development Centers, incubators, micro-lenders, and venture capitalists to establish new ventures to expand local business.

Objective B: Explore creation and viability of business incubation programs in the region.

Strategy 1: Seek funding for study of new business incubation in child care to eliminate historic barriers to employment for parents commuting from rural regions. Study will include determination of underserved areas with regard to commuting parents and statistical analysis of socio-economic factors to maximize potential business success.
Strategy 2: Assist in obtaining funding to initiate business incubation, provide technical assistance as needed.
Strategy 3: Assist in promotion of vast low density areas with higher technical potential for solar energy, wind energy and other renewable energies.
Strategy 4: Promote availability of workers transferrable skills, when possible, to new and emergent business in the area under the leadership of the Workforce Solutions of West Central Texas. Advocate for additional funding to the Workforce to train workers in emergent occupation clusters jobs.
Strategy 5: Promote business incubation and entrepreneurship within local cottage industries and for retirees seeking to embark on “second careers”. Assist with promotion of region as an affordable alternative for retirement with a low cost of living, available health care, high quality of life and financial support of entrepreneurship in second careers.

Objective C: Expand or create export from regional economic clusters.

Strategy 1: Apply for funding to create study of existing product manufacture in the Region, existing export transactions, and interest of businesses to enter into export opportunities.
Strategy 2: Apply for funds to host workshop on initiating business export for regional businesses.

Goal 3

Obtain funding for improved infrastructure in needed areas to attract new business and meet growth needs of existing business

Objective A: Partner with West Central Texas Council of Government, Texas Department of Rural Affairs, the United States Department of Agriculture and other funding sources to develop infrastructure.

Strategy 1: Assist local municipalities with technical assistance and support to improve local water plants, water mains and water lines. Improvement is critical to secure area economic development.
Strategy 2: Assist local municipalities with technical assistance and support to improve local solid waste, wastewater and sewer infrastructure. Improvement is critical to secure area economic development.
Strategy 3: Assist in application for funding to remediate hazardous and petroleum based contaminated lands and buildings which currently serve as barriers to economic development. Additionally, funding will return lands and buildings to the tax rolls and expand the current sales tax base.
Strategy 4: Support municipalities in Identification of effective business partners to perform area-wide recycling transportation and collection, upon request.

Goal 4

Encourage development of safe and affordable housing throughout the region which is consistent with local real estate demographics and patterns.

Objective A: Provide technical assistance, upon request, to area partners to secure avenues to develop a plan to assist residents to build individual assets.

Strategy 1: Explore the possibility of locating entity to assist with Individualized Development Accounts to be used for home purchase and asset building.
Strategy 2: Whenever possible, in association with local builders, non-profits and federal and state housing programming, participate in securing funding to provide affordable single family homes in the area.
Strategy 3: Whenever possible, in association with local builders, non-profits and federal and state housing programming, participate in securing funding to provide affordable multi-family homes in the area.

Goal 5

Secure current communication technologies to the region.

Objective A: Advocate and provide technical assistance to region to quantify communication needs and procure communication resources.

Strategy 1: Apply for funding to determine specific connectivity needs to provide region with high-speed broadband internet and voice over IP telephone service. Publish white paper of specific findings for use in region.
Strategy 2: Identify entity to apply for funding to provide high-speed broadband internet service and voice over IP service to community.

Goal 6

Develop and secure resources to overcome historic barriers to employment in the region.

Objective A: Advocate for and support expansion of transportation resources

Strategy 1: Support procurement of expanded fixed route and demand response transportation to educational facilities and area employers within each community.
Strategy 2: Support procurement of expanded demand response transportation within the region to occupational and educational hubs across the counties.
Strategy 3: Support expanded transportation avenues for persons with disabilities within the region to obtain employment.

Objective B: Expand child care options to parents

Strategy 1: Identify entity to undertake business incubation and entrepreneur opportunities in opening child care facilities along transportation corridors for commuting parents and/or in areas with significant child care challenges.
Strategy 2: Assist with application for funding to study feasibility of child care incubation.
Strategy 3: Assist with business incubation and other financing options to procure year-round child care facilities for pre-school and school age youth.