A record crowd attending Wednesday’s Bryan/College Station chamber of commerce annual economic outlook conference received a pep talk on how well things are going.
Jim Gaines, the chief economist at the Texas A&M real estate center, referred to Isaac Newton’s law that an object stays in motion to describe how the current positive economy will continue until another force intervenes.
Dr. Gaines told the audience of more than 550 that the most endangered species is the worker making less than $40,000 dollars a year doing a repetitive task…because those are the people who will be replaced by technology in the manufacturing and service industries. And he expects affordable housing will continue to be an issue for the next decade, as home prices continue to rise faster than the income of homebuyers.
Another topic was Governor Abbott’s call to cap property tax increases at 2.5 percent. There was opposition from College Station mayor Karl Mooney and Brazos County Judge Duane Peters. And what Peters said was endorsed by Jim Gaines.
Two of the featured speakers talked about their developments. Spencer Clements is with Traditions, ATLAS, and Lake Walk, and Tim Crowley is one of those responsible for Tower Point and Castlegate.
Also during the conference, there was an announcement from Texas A&M of an expanded relationship with the chamber. Associate vice president for external affairs Chad Wooton says that includes consulting services from the chamber. And Wootton says A&M will be a signature sponsor of multiple chamber events.
And during Karl Mooney’s remarks, the College Station mayor provided an update on the Houston YMCA operating a local branch in College Station.
Plans had been put on hold while the Y was dealing with damage to Houston locations following Hurricane Harvey.