Recommendation Submitted by

Cheryl A. Hinckley

Hold a meeting immediately after you receive the Resource Team Report. Make sure everyone that participated in the Resource Team assessment process is encouraged to attend. Use this meeting to develop consensus as to what De Leon wants to be in 5, 10, and 20 years utilizing the "what we heard sheets" provided to the community. In the meeting, develop a vision statement, set goals, create task forces to implement your strategic plan for De Leon. Set time frames and then celebrate when each task is finished. Make sure that people who chair committees have the ability to select their team members, since this will create an environment of cooperation and projects will be completed. We heard many comments that people have personal agendas and this will need to be addressed. When you hold this meeting, invite someone to facilitate. TRDC can recommend Council partners that have these skills. A facilitator will keep the meeting focused and encourage input from all participants.
Create a Beautification Committee and develop a beautification master plan. Address ideas such as: entry points into the city with signs, flower beds, trees and possibly incorporating the school mascot. Address securing sponsorships and responsibility for each of the various areas by implementing an "Adopt a Section of De Leon to Clean up and Beautify" Program similar to the "Adopt a Highway" Program.
Appoint a "Junk Car Patrol Unit" of volunteers. (This would be a good project for your Seniors.) Have the volunteers check on a weekly or monthly basis for locations of abandoned vehicles. This information could then be provided to the city and vehicles can be removed. If you don't have City ordinances that authorize the city to impound junk vehicles, you VAR need to do this if you can't get citizens to volunteer to remove their junk. There are charitable organizations that will take old cars. Check the Dallas Sunday paper for names of organizations that will come to a community and pick up the cars (I believe Betty Terrill has already done this). Then when you have the "truck" pick up all the old cars, celebrate!
Have your local students develop a Homepage for De Leon. Work with your school to keep this updated. This would be an opportunity for students to interact with the adults and teach them computer skills. Examples of items that need to be listed are your tourist sites and contact phone numbers for hunting leases.
The City Auditorium needs to be used more. We heard from many Seniors that they needed a place to walk, and this would be an ideal place during bad weather. Laps could be measured so that folks would know how many miles they have walked. Ile Library could check out audio cassette books for those that would like to utilize their Walkman while they walked. The Auditorium could also house portable basketball backboards. Also, since teenagers said they would like to have a place to roller skate, research the possibility of skating on the floor in the City auditorium.
You have two major businesses that have been bought out by other companies (Crown & the telephone company). You need to contact those new owners and let them know that their business location in your community is appreciated. Find out the owner(s)' and or board of directors' names, addresses and birthdays, and send them birthday & and other holiday cards. I would immediately send them a gift package of items that reflect De Leon. Invite them to your Strategic Planning Meeting.
Form a task force to utilize the list of servicestsupport that existing businesses identified during the Texas Rural Leadership Program, which De Leon recently completed. Contact Bill Spearman with the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE), (817) 735-8181 for referrals of your area SCORE representatives. These retired executives are a powerful resource and could assist you in reviewing this services/support list to locate or assist someone in starting up a new business that would help an existing business.
Your community is going to have to stop thinking about just De Leon and begin to think of De Leon's relationship to the larger region. In today's limited funding, rural communities must address their challenges on a regional basis. For example, hard questions must be answered about the County's two hospitals: will the County support one hospital, or lose them both?
We heard many comments about a youth center, something for the teenagers to do. However, we noticed a big discrepancy in what the teens would like to have, versus what the adult community wanted to have, in a youth center. Remember that the reason some youth centers fail is because they are designed by folks that don't use them. If the community moves forward on a youth center, make sure all your young people have input on this project.
A Task Force needs to develop a marketing plan for the community. One component of this plan could be a brochure highlighting your excellent school system, festivals, and other events held in the community. Also use the Internet and your Homepage. Ask your local utility companies to assist you; they usually have excellent marketing people. This marketing campaign should be targeted at residents as well as the surrounding areas. Don't forget those new companies that have bought hometown businesses--they may have resources that could assist you in. developing this marketing plan.
List your event(s) in the Texas Events Calendar, P. 0. Box 141009, Austin, TX 78714-1009.
List your event(s) in magazines that post calendars of events, such as Southern Living.
Have local TV stations list the dates of your event(s) in their public service announcements.
Contact the Texas Country Reporter at 1-800-TEXAS13 or (214) 741-1300 to have your event(s) posted on their bulletin board.
Contact the Texas Department of Transportation for information on funds that might be available for turning your old depot into a museum Contact: Ms. Mira Garcia, 512/416-2726.
You have got to stop trying to "go it alone" when it comes to economic development, services such as health care, and marketing your area. Getting funding resources works best when you take a regional approach. Form partnerships with other towns in the county. After forming partnerships inside the county, form partnerships with surrounding counties.
Research state and federal programs available for upgrading water systems by using the TRDC Rural Resource Guide. A computer disk copy was given to your Chamber of Commerce, whose office will provide access to the Resource Guide.
Contact Larry Jacob at Economic Development Administration, (512) 916-5119, regarding hardship grants for water and sewer. EDA also funds feasibility studies for water.
De Leon needs to research and educate the community about the 1/2 cent sales tax. This tax brings back money to the community. Contact Joe Newman with the Texas Economic Council on how to educate your community on this economic development tool. The sales tax could be used to hire an economic development person to assist the community in a focused strategic plan.
Appoint a task force to inventory all the volunteers and the skills that they bring to the community.
Have a Sweetheart dance between the Seniors and the high school students. Play the music of the 30's and 40's. Crown a King and Queen. Explore the possibility of implementing the Youth Exchanging with Seniors program (YES) to bridge elderly/youth interrelationships. (YES was sponsored by the Texas Future Homemakers of America and the Texas Agricultural Extension Service.)
Contact the Economic Development Departments of other surrounding towns/cities about pursuing possible joint projects. A regional approach to economic development efforts will benefit all of the region's communities.
Inventory all properties that could meet movie-makers' needs. Contact the Texas Film Commission at 512/463-9200 for recommendations on how to do this.
Develop a youth "peer board" to work with local law enforcement agencies and judges in formalizing an action plan to address the under-age alcohol, drug and gang challenges facing the community.
Start training the youth about De Leon's local government. An excellent tool for this purpose is the "Our Town, Texas," produced by the Texas City Management Association & Texas Foundation for Local Government. "Our Town, Texas" is a book of 6th-8th Grade level classroom activities. Each copy includes everything needed to teach 17 stand-alone lessons: a teacher's guide, lesson plans, student instructions and handout materials. One book may be ordered and copied for class use. (A copy of the order form is included in the appendix)
You need an updated community profile, which can be included on your Homepage.
Identify all buildings and commercial land that are available for rent or sale. Have a central contact person who has a general knowledge of what the buildings/land will rent or sell for. Have a picture of the buildings and land as well as a computer print-out description.
Develop a workforce training initiative in partnership with the school. Work with the finance, medical, and other business interests to establish curriculum that would address the jobskill needs of the business community and prepare De Leon's young people to enter the local job market.
Implement a youth fellowship evening with all churches. Use one evening each month for youth to learn more about each other's churches, and incorporate training on community pride and ownership. Churches could take turns in hosting these monthly sessions.
Enclose the swimming pool and plan year-around use and sporting events. Your Seniors could use the pool for water aerobics. Contact the Texas Parks & Wildlife for grant funding to enclose the pool.
Contact your local colleges about possible live theater and / or musical presentations. These could be small production numbers held in the City Auditorium You could also look at doing dinner theaters in the round.
With the high percentage of low to moderate income of the citizens in De Leon, the City should continue to apply for Community Development Block Grants from the Department of Housing and Community Affairs, in conjunction with the local Council of Governments, for use in water improvements. Contact John Clary about detailed recommendations, 512/475-3844.
De Leon needs to develop a volunteer base to fix up some of the rundown homes. Each civic club, church, and school could select a home as a community project.
We were told that 33-35% of your population is Hispanic. We did not see representation from this segment of your community. In any future planning efforts, you need to wake a conscientious effort to bring these folks to tile table. They represent a potential resource that has not been tapped. Hispanic volunteers could give Spanish classes, for instance. Pay special attention to involving Hispanic children in community activities, so that these children will row up seeing themselves as members of the community of De Leon.
Consider having a festival celebrating Hispanic culture, such as a Cinco de Mayo celebration.
We heard over and over again that county roads need to be fixed. You need to seriously consider going to a unit system.
You have to be more politically involved in Austin. You need a presence there. Legislators need to hear from you! Start planning Legislative Day(s) in Austin. If you need help on this ask your state legislators what they would like to be involved in. Example: Legislative Breakfast, evening function, etc. Plan to visit the capital and take a bus load of people from De Leon. Better yet, make it a county-wide function.
Take a good look at the entrances of your public buildings. Are there cobwebs in the doors, are sidewalks swept clean, is the trash picked up?
You need to address whether or not the two Chambers of Commerce should be combined, to get full bang for your buck.
CHERYL HINCKLEY'S RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ATTRACTING BUSINESSES:

If the community decides to recruit new businesses to De Leon, you need contact one of the major recruiting agencies such as Deloitte & Touche or Fantus Consulting. I recently had the opportunity to hear a talk given by Robert M. Ady, President of Deloitte & Touche. Mr. Ady's recommendations for what a community should do about community visits when an industry is looking at property were right on target. The time allocated for a business' visits to a community needs to be divided in the following categories:

Initial Visit The consultant-with-client visit Final community visit
Data review 20% 40% 10%
Talking to local employers 50% 10% 0%
Site & building investigation 20% 10% 10%
Incentive discussion 10% 20% 30%
Leadership meeting 0% 10% 25%
Quality of life review 0% 10% 25%

	Initial Visit	The consultant-with-client visit	Final community visit
Data review	20%	40%	10%
Talking to local employers	50%	10%	0%
Site & building investigation	20%	10%	10%
Incentive discussion	10%	20%	30%
Leadership meeting	0%	10%	25%
Quality of life review	0%	10%	25%

You need to also keep in mind that operating costs are more important than quality of life. Also remember that site selection is a process of elimination. When someone visits your community they are to trying to eliminate you from their list of possible locations.

Major placement firms want back-up on: labor market (look at this on a regional level), site/building specifications, list of existing companies, wage levels (include total bonuses, health care, retirement plans) utility rates, training capabilities, transportation services, incentives , and quality of life characteristics.

Another area that you need to address is keeping the price of the land loose. Look at the Big Picture. Too many communities become greedy and loose the deal.

I would also suggest that you start developing a personal relationship with one of the major recruitment agencies. That means making a trip to their headquarters. Deloitte & Touche have offices in Atlanta, New York Cleveland, and Chicago.

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