Brenda Hicks Lawrence, director of the Economic Development Department, briefed the Economic and Workforce Development Committee Oct. 20 on plans to refresh the city’s Economic Development Strategic Framework. The update will incorporate the metro priority plan, a deep dive into the 2020 small business ecosystem assessment and a series of stakeholder briefings conducted with mayor and council offices.

Staff said the refresh will solicit consultant support in the coming months, with a target to select consultants in the spring and to move toward implementation planning in 2027. The process will include public engagement and one or more briefings to council as preliminary findings emerge.

Committee members asked staff to include near-term analysis of recent military changes at Fort Sam Houston — specifically the Army North and Army South command moves — and the possible ripple effects on nearby small businesses such as coffee shops and retail that rely on on‑base personnel. Chair Villagran and several councilmembers recommended that the consultant scope examine potential job and revenue losses in affected neighborhoods and identify industries to recruit that could mitigate local disruption.

Members also urged staff to emphasize placemaking and small-business assistance in the refresh, to expand outreach to community development organizations (including BDOs and Prosper West) and to catalog legislative opportunities and limits for future policy actions. Councilmember Castillo asked whether community benefits and “second-chance” hiring initiatives could be incorporated into the framework’s data-collection and incentive recommendations; staff said individual policy items typically follow an acceptance of the plan and are advanced separately.

Staff reiterated that the refresh will include metrics to measure success, layered stakeholder engagement and an eye toward integrating workforce efforts such as Ready to Work. The committee requested that staff provide specific stakeholder names and contacts for outreach, and noted the need to track metrics tied to poverty reduction and small-business resilience.

No formal committee action was taken; staff will proceed with the stakeholder briefings and solicitation process.