Bastrop voters could decide the fate of the Bastrop Economic Development Corp. in November 2026.

During a joint Oct. 21 meeting between Bastrop City Council and the Bastrop EDC, officials discussed the efficacy the voter-approved nonprofit plays in bringing developments to the region.

The details

The Bastrop EDC was established in 1995.

“We were a little sleepy town, and we were trying to attract businesses here for the good of our community for very good reasons,” Bastrop Mayor Pro Tem John Kirkland said during the meeting. “We did that by offering free land to people if they would come here and set up business for a year, and then we would give them the price of their land back.”


He stressed that “things have changed” 30 years later.

“We’re no longer a sleepy little town,” Kirkland said. “We’re a destination for businesses. We’re no longer having to give away the free land because it’s just not necessary anymore. It’s because several of the entire world’s largest businesses have moved within tens of miles of our city.”

He listed Samsung, and several of Elon Musk’s ventures as prime examples.

Zooming in


If the Bastrop EDC is dissolved, any land that it owns would still have to be used in the furtherance of economic development principles, according to city officials.

“It’s not like all of a sudden we inherit so many acres of land and we can go do whatever we’re going to do with it,” Bastrop City Manager Sylvia Carrillo-Trevino said.

She and Bastrop City Council discussed the desire to have more developments that enhance the quality of life for residents and listed several potential projects, including:“I did have an opinion of probable cost coming through [Oct. 21] for the [Rodeo Arena],” Carrillo-Trevino said. “That is a $10.2 million project. We’re also working on probable costs for a parking garage. That is going to be in the neighborhood of $16-$20 million.”

The outlook


Bastrop city staff will evaluate whether dissolving the EDC is a viable option and will present their findings to city officials at a later date.

Notable quote

“I have two competing principles,” Carrillo-Trevino said. “We have residents who say no more development. There’s already enough here. Don’t incentivize anyone. Then I have [those who say], ‘But we want our kids to be able to do something. There are still things that we need.'”