Two specialty task forces are attempting to recruit office employers and higher education institutions to Cedar Park.

During an Aug. 22 update on each task force's progress, Cedar Park Mayor Matt Powell—who chairs the office recruitment committee—said three development companies have already visited the city to evaluate potential business opportunities, and two more invitations have been extended. The meetings have been productive and educational, he said.

"We're not looking for answers as much as we're trying to figure out the right questions to be asking," Powell said.

The committee is seeking to learn what size employer would be the right fit for Cedar Park, what needs to be done to entice businesses to locate north of Austin and what size building would accommodate their needs. City Council has identified 12 locations ideal for office development, and many of those sites are attracting interest from private firms, he said.

"It's been a validation of what we were thinking, but at the same it has taken us in some new directions as well," Powell said.

Cedar Park is particularly attractive to employers interested in relocating, Powell has learned, but some sort of tiebreaker—likely in the form of financial incentives—may be needed to convince a company to pick the city over Austin and neighboring suburbs, he said.

Mayor Pro Tem Don Tracy is investigating the likelihood of attracting a four-year university to Cedar Park. As chairman of the higher education campus task force, he has identified two different schools, which he did not name during the Aug. 22 meeting, that would help support the needs of existing Cedar Park businesses.

One would have a strong focus in workforce development, particularly in the information technology and health care fields, and the other proposed institution would be more research and development–oriented with a strong emphasis in medical devices and manufacturing, he said.

"These are two different schools that fill two different needs," Tracy said. "There may also be some eventual crossover with what we're thinking about and may occur with the office pieces."

A third task force that addresses the city's tax rate and bond capacity, chaired by Councilman Stephen Thomas, intends to review the city's long-term financial standing once Cedar Park completes its annual budget process in September.