Development
BY JOEL VALLEY
Bastrop leaders explore countywide economic development partnership
Zooming in
Bastrop County, a region that spans 896 square miles, is experiencing a majority of its growth in unincorporated areas, according to city documents. However, Carrillo-Trevino told Bastrop City Council that the county “lacks a clear vision of economic development” in response to the absence of a strategic plan. Although there was a drafted resolution in support of a strategic plan—which would identify strengths, opportunities, gaps in workforce or education, and the roles of each of the partici- pants—Bastrop City Council denied the resolution during a March 10 meeting. “The fact that [an operating budget] amount was identied, without a plan, gave great concern to all of the cities,” Carrillo-Trevino said of the draft bylaws.
resolution during a Feb. 23 meeting in support of the creation of the regional economic development partners corporation, the Bastrop City Council and the Bastrop Economic Development Corp. had hesitations after reviewing the resolution and draft bylaws that Glass submitted. Bastrop City Manager Sylvia Carrillo Trevino said ocials from each city raised a variety of concerns, including those about the cost of participation, the lack of transparency and the ability for non-governmental organizations to “buy” a seat on the board. Elgin City Council has yet to vote on the creation of the corporation, according to city documents.
The city of Bastrop is exploring what a regional economic development partners corporation could look like after Bastrop County Precinct 4 Commissioner David Glass proposed the idea. Glass discussed his push for a partnership during a Feb. 12 meeting he sponsored. The Bastrop County-led initiative would bring together ocials from Bastrop County, private companies, and the cities of Bastrop, Elgin, Paige, Rosanky, Smithville and Webberville. Bastrop city sta are preparing to collaborate with ocials from these cities on a strategic plan that would guide the formation of a countywide economic development corporation. Although Smithville City Council approved a
Did you know? This is the second time since last fall that the city of Bastrop has explored a dierent trajectory for the current Bastrop Economic Development Corp. On Oct. 21, 2025, Bastrop City Council discussed the future of the voter-approved nonprot, though no action was taken.
The outlook
Bastrop City Council directed Carrillo- Trevino to work with ocials from other Bastrop County cities of Elgin, Smithville, Paige, Webberville and Rosanky on a strategic plan of their own. “I’m 100% in support of you going to have those conversations so that we can really establish what we’re trying to do with this,” Harris told Carrillo-Trevino during the March 10 meeting. “I feel like we’re the heartbeat of Central Texas, and we have to protect that by not letting anyone else come in and tell us how to do it.”
SOURCE: CITY OF BASTROPCOMMUNITY IMPACT
City of Bastrop ocials are working with county and nearby city leaders to explore options for a countywide economic development partnership.
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