They contract with Fort Bend County to market & brand the County to draw more businesses to Fort Bend cities and use County taxpayer money to do it. Now we’re learning they’ve produced a video paid with Missouri City taxpayer dollars thanks to a website tracking how city funds are spent.
Documents obtained from Fort Bend County reveal Fort Bend County Commissioners earlier this year renewed their agreement with the Greater Fort Bend Economic Development Council. The agreement pays $250,000 in County taxpayer funds for two types of supplemental services above and beyond the Trustee-level services the County taxpayers already pay for. 21114_EDC Agmt 2016 renewal
Article II of the document explains the GFBEDC shall develop a program directly and/or indirectly benefiting the County to solicit poach industrial, commercial and business prospects from other cities for location to Fort Bend County cities.
The agreement also calls for the GFBEDC to develop and implement a marketing plan to indirectly and/or indirectly benefit the County.
A search of the Missouri City’s Citizen Transparency website uncovered 4 payments totaling $57,000 in city funds to the Greater Fort Bend Economic Development Council since July 2015. One transaction in the amount of $12,000 paid for a “FBC Branding & Marketing Program video”. GFBEDC – 12000.pdf
The video is distributed on the homepage of the Greater Fort Bend Economic Development Council and on You Tube where, since posted on May 25, 2016, it has 267 views.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-5Ye69Bu_E
Exit question: what say you? Is this reflective of good stewardship of taxpayer dollars?