Resident urges council to probe CEIDC finances and public-record practices

Cheryl Wood (public commenter) told the Crockett City Council that the Crockett Economic/Industrial Development Corporation (CEIDC) has repeatedly exceeded budgets and withheld records from requesters, and she asked the council to step in.

"Why CEIDC allowed to continually to go over budget, but never make mandated amendments to the budget, present those budget amendments to the city council for their approval," the commenter said, listing overspends in advertising and training and questioning an executive vehicle allowance. She alleged CEIDC advertising spending rose by 86% in 2020 and by 384% in 2021 and said CEIDC continued to pay for a janitor and utilities beyond contract terms.

Another public speaker asked the council to "set the record straight," saying requesters faced barriers when seeking documents and that a requester with a disability was denied assistance. The speaker said requesters were billed identical page counts and charges for different records and stated that the Texas Attorney General's office had sent letters on at least two CEIDC complaints.

Council members did not take immediate action during public comment; staff and board representatives later discussed EDC/EDIC budgets during the agenda. The complaints flagged three issues the council could address: (1) financial controls and justification for discretionary spending such as vehicle allowances and advertising, (2) compliance with public-information requests and the Texas Public Information Act, and (3) whether CEIDC is properly presenting budget amendments for council review.

The council did not vote on the CEIDC-specific allegations during the session. Several council members and staff said transparency and proper documentation are important and indicated they would rely on existing procedures for follow-up.