Fulshear weighs a $100,000 update to its economic development plan

Fulshear City Council will consider paying TIP Strategies $100,000 to update the city's economic development plan. The proposal is Item IX.A on the Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026 agenda. It sits in the business section, so it is set for its own discussion and a possible vote.

The request grew out of a special joint meeting of the City Council and the economic development boards on Aug. 5, 2026. The memo says council members directed staff to ask TIP Strategies for an updated proposal. Annel Guadalupe, director of economic development, requested it and will present the item. Staff recommends that council approve the proposal.

What the two boards already approved

TIP wrote the city's previous strategic plan. The new letter agreement is dated Sept. 3, 2026. It is addressed to Guadalupe and signed by Tom Stellman, founder and chief executive of TIP Strategies, Inc., in Austin. The price is $100,000, and that figure includes expenses. The firm estimates five to six months to finish. The fixed price assumes up to four in-person trips.

The letter's payment terms are 20 percent when the contract is signed, then monthly installments for the rest. The final invoice is typically held until a draft of all the deliverables has been turned in. The terms are good for 180 days. TIP says a contract similar to the one used for the 2018 plan can be executed if the city requires it, and that certificates of insurance will be provided.

The development corporations have already acted on their shares. On Sept. 14, 2026, the City of Fulshear Development Corporation, the Type A board, unanimously approved $50,000 for the update. On Sept. 21, 2026, the Fulshear Development Corporation, the Type B board, approved $50,000.

The council memo lists a separate budget figure. Expenditure required is $100,000. Amount budgeted is $110,000, split as $55,000 in account 601-000-5470-03 and $55,000 in account 701-000-5470-03. Additional appropriation required is listed as none. The memo says council already approved this item during the budget process.

What the plan would look at

The letter says the update is an economic development strategic plan for the city. TIP would begin by reading background policies and talking with staff about current programs and what has happened since the last plan. Analysts would prepare a short look at population, employment, and Fulshear's position in Fort Bend County and the Houston region.

Stakeholder sessions would be roundtables and some one-on-one interviews with employers, elected officials, small businesses, and economic development partners. TIP would run the discussions. The city would book the rooms, advertise the sessions, and provide translation when a session needs it.

Later work would cover commercial property, housing, infrastructure needs taken from existing capital plans, property-tax and sales-tax revenue, and interviews with about four to six planning officials about how projects move through review. The written plan would be paired with an implementation matrix naming who is responsible, the timing, and how progress is measured. TIP would offer presentations to the Type A and Type B boards and to City Council, plus a workshop on tasks for the next 60 to 90 days.

The proposal lists a startup guide, meeting materials, data charts, the strategic plan, and the implementation spreadsheet. The letter describes the regional setting as growth west of the Grand Parkway. The funding votes and the proposal are Item IX.A in the city's Oct. 20, 2026 agenda packet, pages 280 through 286. The meeting starts at 6 p.m. in council chambers at 6611 W. Cross Creek Bend Lane.