EDC, Commission to meet about new business

By HEATHER CATHLEEN COX
Staff Writer
reporter@sbnewspaper.com

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A special meeting of the San Benito City Commission will be held Wednesday, July 23, to discuss the potential establishment of a new business in San Benito.

The Economic Development Corporation (EDC) has been meeting with a potential business prospect and has already met with the City Commission to present its findings. At Wednesday’s meeting, members of the EDC, as well as representatives from the prospective business, will meet in executive session to discuss potential incentives to the business prospect.

During the course of the meeting, the City Commission will retire into executive session to discuss this item.

City Manager Manuel Lara said, “It’s an economic development project. EDC had a meeting last Thursday. Now, what they need to do is share (their) project with elected officials. The EDC is going to present to us what they presented to their board and continue moving forward.”

There is no word just yet on what new business San Benitians can anticipate in coming to the Resaca City. EDC Director Salomon Torres said, “A lot of very positive developments are related to this project. We are communicating constantly with this prospect, and all indications are very positive… for them establishing their operations here in San Benito. I’m not at liberty to say more than that at this time.”

Lara explained, “EDC keeps quiet on projects because other neighboring cities could lure the competing business in.”

 

Permanent link to this article: https://www.sbnewspaper.com/2014/07/22/edc-commission-to-meet-about-new-business/

5 comments

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    • The Negotiator on July 25, 2014 at 4:09 pm
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    The problems here in San Benito will always be the same; I see no change coming as long as the citizens of our city keep voting in the same individuals or someone related. When will all this corruption of our elected politicians stop? I believe the only way is to start with new faces, no more compadre syndrome, please! I am so tired of San Benito being the joke of the valley, and I’m sure many citizens feel the same way too. The most common answer for any in-coming business is, “it doesn’t meet code”, causing the small business person to make outrageous expenses. Instead, San Benito needs to work with new prospective businesses to help them open, and at the same time helping our city. Another issue is, after a few months in business sometimes a new business has to close down for lack of backing from our citizens. I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of going to surrounding cities to get what I need just because businesses don’t want to open here; this city makes it too difficult for any business to open in San Benito. Look at the surrounding cities, they are booming with new business all because the leaders over there work for progression and not lining their pockets or thinking, “What’s in it for me”. An attitude for success is the type of mentality we need in our city government not people that sit on their brains while other cities are advancing. Citizens of San Benito when ever a new small business opens up help out by visiting it more often it might turn out to be a great place. In the end new business means more tax revenue for our city, and maybe just maybe our taxes won’t go up. We need to think positive, new business means progression for our city.

      • WeThePeople on July 25, 2014 at 9:22 pm
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      The code enforcement dude rides around in his truck all day. I heard a citizen complain the other day that he made 8 phone calls to the City code enforcement over a weeks time with NO RESPONSE! He finally went to their office and the secretary was rude and the code dude was even more belligerent!
      Where is management??? Maybe they just got busy chasing all of those ‘unauthorized ambulances’ reported last week??

    • Juan on July 24, 2014 at 7:43 am
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    The San Benito EDC should be abolished asap.

    • TwoCentsWorth on July 23, 2014 at 6:10 pm
    • Reply

    Alert to the citizens of San Benito: At today’s meeting, members of the EDC, as well as representatives from the prospective business, will meet in executive session to discuss potential incentives–that’s “potential incentives” to the business prospect. In other words, “giving” something to a business prospect in order to bring them to San Benito. How much longer can we allow the EDC to hand out our community’s funds? Check this out–the assessed value of the Thomae funeral home’s land and improvements was $377,743 in Year 2012. The EDC paid $385,000 for the property in 2013. Now, it is proposing to pay another $300,000 to $325,000 to remodel the building. That’s a potential cost of $710,000 for a building worth $377,743 a couple of years ago. What? What? This is Looney Tune world at its best!!! Wake up, San Bene . . . these are your funds.

      • WeThePeople on July 24, 2014 at 10:03 pm
      • Reply

      The SAME people voting on ‘tax incentives’ are the same ones that will run down poor people in an instant! What do they think giving away taxpayer money to huge corporations is?? HINT: CORPORATE WELFARE.
      Subsidies to the fast food industry? Give me a break!
      Here’s one for you…there is currently one company in Harlingen that received tax breaks from their EDC and now they are laying off long-term workers and veterans while replacing them with undocumented workers; I’ll let everyone figure that one out.

      Ten Examples of Welfare for the Rich and Corporations (Huffington Post)
      http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-quigley/ten-examples-of-welfare-for-the-rich-and-corporations_b_4589188.html

      FIX the streets, build a swimming pool, improve downtown, improve the quality of life, period…to hell with companies that want ‘incentives’. So does everyone else! If they want some incentive…tell them to go to Harlingen!

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