Killeen leaders gathered downtown for a discussion centered on economics Tuesday evening.
Topics at the event covered a range of different business factors in the area including diversifying and improving the local economy, protecting businesses and citizens and how to get more involved in the community.
Speakers at the event included Ronnie Russell, president of the Innovation Black Chamber of Commerce; Tyler Robert, vice president of the Killeen Economic Development Corporation; and Antonia McDaniel, commander of the Killeen Police Department.
Killeen Mayor Pro Tem Riakos Adams served as the moderator.
The event centered on the economy.
One topic that came up was the prevalence of certain industries such as car washes.
“There’s so many duplicated businesses that we have,” Russell said.
He explained that we need to examine the businesses we have to determine what to bring in going forward.
Robert explained that when dealing with some businesses, such as a data center, there are limited local resources to support a lot of them.
He also mentioned an education factor, explaining that part of it is about learning what the community wants and then trying to attract those businesses.
How to better support businesses currently in the area was also discussed. Russell said that many of them currently lack administrative skills or try to fill the wrong role. He also emphasized the importance of having a good business plan.
Both the Innovation Black Chamber and Killeen Economic Development Corporation have resources to help small businesses.
Another focus was crime.
“Local businesses have to establish a relationship with your police department,” McDaniel said.
One specific program he mentioned was the Killeen Police Department’s option to register cameras with the department. Both businesses and citizens can do that.
Most registered cameras do not provide a live feed, he said, but some city cameras and businesses do.
He explained that the city currently has roughly 1,000 cameras registered and has already used that system to solve some crimes.
“We’re trying to build that system as large as we can,” McDaniel said.
He also mentioned neighborhood watches, citizens being present and getting more police patrols as ways to reduce crime.
Adams also discussed ways for citizens to step up. He used the example of a pothole and said people will ignore it or complain about it on Facebook, which does not address the problem and causes the pothole to worsen. Instead, he said people should report it using the proper channels.
“Not everybody participates in the economic development process,” he said.
Adams also highlighted Killeen’s strong geographic position. He mentioned it is one of the fastest growing areas in the world and is in a good location between Dallas, Houston and San Antonio.
Another positive mentioned was Interstate 14 likely getting extended to run from El Paso to Georgia and the fact that the Killeen portion of the road is finished.
The discussion drew around 20 people. It was held at the Mint Moments Event Center, located at 219 E. Avenue D in downtown Killeen.
It was organized by the Central Texas Community Art and Music Initiative, a local nonprofit. That organization recently started hosting community discussions at 6 p.m. on the last Tuesday of the month.
CJ Nickens, who runs the initiative, said, “Information is not getting out.” He mentioned the bystander effect and highlighted the meetings as a way to address that and improve feedback and communication.
Next month’s discussion will run from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, July 29. It will focus on development.