Mineral Wells Area News

Mineral Wells Area News is proud to present Community Voices, a weekly guest column featuring local leaders who share insight, updates, and perspectives on what’s happening in Mineral Wells and across Palo Pinto County.

Each week, a different voice from our community will take the stage—keeping residents informed, engaged, and connected to the people shaping our future.

This week’s contributor is David Miller, Director of the Mineral Wells Economic Development Corporation. Up next week, we will hear an update from one of our Community Voices in the health and wellness space.

We hope you not only enjoy this new weekly series, we hope you learn from them!

What Is Economic Development?

By David Miller

Economic development corporations have been around for decades. Although the Mineral Wells EDC is relatively new, with very few projects under its belt, we often operate in the background and avoid the spotlight.

So, some of you may be wondering, “What is economic development?”

What may come to mind first is probably economists or developers—but neither is correct. Rather, we are instigators, attempting to fan the flames of economic growth in our communities. We spend our days (and nights) plotting to make the places we call home better.

What We Do

Sometimes, this involves assisting businesses in training or upskilling employees for the future. Other times, we are deal closers, recruiting new companies to (re)locate here. Sometimes, we assist with park improvements. Most often, we’re helping a local business expand.

Whatever the project, Texas law obligates us to ensure that what we’re doing benefits Mineral Wells. It has to benefit this community in a measurable way, and we have several ways to make sure we stay on mission.

Accountability

The largest of these is simply accountability. We have a seven-member board of local business professionals who weigh and vote on each and every project.

From there, the Mineral Wells City Council reviews the project and votes on whether it will move forward. On top of that, the public can weigh in on these projects at our public hearings.

(If you’re the type to participate or have questions or concerns, the Mineral Wells Economic Development Corporation meets during the lunch hour at City Hall, making it easy for most to attend. You can always call, text, or email 940-521-8809 / dmiller@mineralwellstx.gov.)

Performance Agreements

The biggest piece of our process for ensuring every project benefits Mineral Wells is that an EDC is required to draft a performance agreement for every project.

Every project must have a quid pro quo: if we do this, you do that.

For example, If we pay to bring sewer and water to your new business development, then you agree to achieve specific metrics that generate a net benefit for the community—typically by creating jobs. Sometimes, we look at the overall sales tax collection the project will bring. Nearly every project will contribute to increased property tax value.

The result of these metrics is economic growth, directly influencing more paychecks, more places to shop, research facilities bringing higher-paying jobs, or at least more revenue into city coffers to fix streets or pay for amenities like swimming pools and libraries.

Clawbacks

Now, every project also has a clawback. This means if the business fails to perform, there’s a mechanism to recoup expenses paid or discounts given. Again, this is required by statute—it’s the law. So, if a business fails to create the number of jobs they agreed to, and we paid for those infrastructure improvements, a clawback could mean the business must repay a specified amount of those costs.

If we sold land for a discount, a performance default might trigger the EDC to collect on a letter of credit for a higher sales price for that land.

It’s very rare for businesses to default on these agreements. We all want to succeed, and the vetting process is significant to ensure these businesses can and will deliver on their promises.

Looking Ahead

Next time you see an EDC project published, you’ll know a little more about the process, purpose, and parameters that went into it. If you have a business expansion or training need, we would love to hear from you!

Also don’t forget we have new programs available, The Facade Grant Program for commercial building makeovers (matching grant) and The Small Business Loan Fund designed to help local entrepreneurs grow.

About the Author

David Miller is the Director of the Mineral Wells Economic Development Corporation. A Louisiana native, his career spans disaster relief management after Hurricane Katrina, small business ownership, and more than eight years in economic development and commercial real estate.

Before coming to Mineral Wells, he led the Breckenridge EDC, where he launched programs that earned state recognition, including Texas Downtown’s Best Economic Game Changer Award. Today, he works to grow jobs, support small businesses, and bring community-shaping projects to Mineral Wells.

📱 940-521-8809

📧 dmiller@mineralwellstx.gov

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