Newly-elected County Commissioner Richard Morrison now qualifies as a trust buster extraordinaire.
Trust busting the Economic Development Council, a cronies-only “public-private partnership established in 1986 to promote economic vitality and to ensure quality development in
People who want to promote the county, to encourage other businesses to move to the county can easily become a member of either of these organizations. But since membership in the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce costs between $225 and $625 depending on the number of employees working at your business, and trustee membership in the EDC will run a cool 6 large, you would think that smart businessmen would opt for the cheaper of the two.
And up until yesterday, you would be wrong.
This is because the county guidelines on granting tax abatements to businesses who are establishing a place of business in the county included, up until yesterday, the following:
“The following factors, among others, shall be considered in determining whether to grant tax abatement.”
… (whether the business) “has agreed to participate in the continuing economic development process…by becoming a trustee member of the Greater Fort Bend Economic Development Council”
Get it? It’s nothing less than a government-sponsored form of tribute. Want a break in your property taxes? Pony up 6 grand a year for as long as you have the abatement in place.
With the request by Morrison, that the “shall” be changed to “may,” and the subsequent 5-0 vote to make it so, the Commissioners Court ended by fiat what was once a pay to play requirement for businesses to get a tax break in this county.
Isn’t it funny how electing just one more Democrat to the
All I can hope for is that there is more to come.
