Montgomery County applies for grant to boost economic collaboration

Montgomery County commissioners are seeking grant funding for a new economic mobility and opportunity special assistant, who according to commissioners would coordinate economic development efforts across the entire county.

What you need to know

Commissioners approved a grant application June 10 to the International City/County Management Association for the position, which according to Grant Administrator Rebecca Ansley will support economic development initiatives alongside other economic development partnerships in the county.

"Residents of Montgomery County, Texas, face several significant challenges to upward economic mobility, with the most pressing barriers being lack of affordable housing, transportation issues, disparities in access to resources and persistent rural poverty," the application states. "To effectively tackle these issues a coordinated approach is needed. This includes expanding affordable housing options, attracting new blue-collar employers, improving transportation infrastructure and enhancing access to education and workforce development opportunities."

Precinct 3 Commissioner Ritch Wheeler said he brought forth the idea following a conversation with The Woodlands Area Economic Development Partnership in an effort to foster more collaboration with other economic development organizations in the county.

In their words

"This position is, I think, critically important for economic development for Montgomery County, because our EDPs are not talking to each other," Wheeler said. "What this position will do is kind of be an umbrella over top of all of those EDPs, so that we can work as a county to bring in some of these bigger projects."

"This is a smart initiative for Montgomery County. Economic development is fundamentally a team sport—the more aligned we are across jurisdictions, the more opportunities we can unlock together," said Jevon Gibb, CEO of The Woodlands Area Economic Development Partnership. "Given that nearly 80% of Montgomery County is unincorporated, there are significant economic development opportunities and sites that currently lack dedicated support. Unlocking that potential would elevate the entire county."