I just saw that there is a special meeting today regarding an agreement with a group called Plug & Play LLC. As far as I can tell, it was still not listed on the city's calendar or in "Upcoming Events" on the main site as late as 10:30 AM on the day of the meeting. It does appear to have been listed since I started writing this. I happened to bump into it on the Channel 19 page. Though this meeting is flying under the radar. I think there is cause for concern for taxpayers. Below is the link with all the information from the city I can find.
https://collegestationtx.portal.civicclerk.com/event/3818/files/agenda/4993
I do not know the details of the agreement. I haven't been able to find the agreement yet. But judging by an agreement made with the City of Sugar Land a week ago, this is likely to be a multimillion dollar giveaway.
It is important to know that these agreements have proven to be poor decisions in the past. Though the Council was different, folks still currently on staff (City Manager, City Attorney, and others) showed an inability to provide basic oversight in these kinds of agreements. Specifically in the Viasat events.
City staff, including specifically those in the Economic Development Dept. showed an inability or unwillingness to investigate Viasat's fraudulent behavior when I let them know what I had found. It was only after I approached the City Auditor's office that staff began an investigation and verified that the fraud had occurred.
Then, in 2023, the City Attorney and City Managers Offices convinced the City Council to waive $50k in reimbursements due to College Station taxpayers by cancelling the Viasat agreement in anticipation of Viasat's officially leaving town.
In ideal circumstances and with proper oversight, these types of agreements are already going to be ineffective wastes of money. If we wanted to spur growth locally, the biggest impact is to make the city's regulatory burdens easier to manage.
But in our particular case, the City of College Station has shown they are not able to provide adequate oversight for these agreements. The city should not be entering these agreements in under-the-radar special sessions without allowing citizen oversight and input.
https://collegestationtx.portal.civicclerk.com/event/3818/files/agenda/4993
I do not know the details of the agreement. I haven't been able to find the agreement yet. But judging by an agreement made with the City of Sugar Land a week ago, this is likely to be a multimillion dollar giveaway.
It is important to know that these agreements have proven to be poor decisions in the past. Though the Council was different, folks still currently on staff (City Manager, City Attorney, and others) showed an inability to provide basic oversight in these kinds of agreements. Specifically in the Viasat events.
City staff, including specifically those in the Economic Development Dept. showed an inability or unwillingness to investigate Viasat's fraudulent behavior when I let them know what I had found. It was only after I approached the City Auditor's office that staff began an investigation and verified that the fraud had occurred.
Then, in 2023, the City Attorney and City Managers Offices convinced the City Council to waive $50k in reimbursements due to College Station taxpayers by cancelling the Viasat agreement in anticipation of Viasat's officially leaving town.
In ideal circumstances and with proper oversight, these types of agreements are already going to be ineffective wastes of money. If we wanted to spur growth locally, the biggest impact is to make the city's regulatory burdens easier to manage.
But in our particular case, the City of College Station has shown they are not able to provide adequate oversight for these agreements. The city should not be entering these agreements in under-the-radar special sessions without allowing citizen oversight and input.
Brian Alg
Brazos Coalition for Responsible Government and Moderator Restraint
Brazos Coalition for Responsible Government and Moderator Restraint
