News Center

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN
In accordance with Chapter 551, Texas Government Code, the Heart of Texas Council of Governments Board of Directors will hold a Public Hearing on Thursday, May 26, 2022, beginning at 10:00 a.m. by the Heart of Texas Council of Governments Executive Board, Waco, Texas. At the meeting...

We’re celebrating Small Business Week and Economic Development Week in May! What could be better than recognizing economic developers during Spring, the season of life and growth?
This May is the perfect time to raise awareness about the various economic development organizations that make strides to support and improve upon th...

VIew Announcement in SpanishThe Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) announces the opening of its Housing Choice Voucher program wait-list on Monday, May 2, 2022. The program provides funds through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to pay a portion of monthly rent for qualifying familie...

The Waco City Council finalized agreements Tuesday that will guide riverfront development between Franklin Avenue and Interstate 35 for years to come.
The deals with Baylor University and Catalyst Urban Development touch on land purchases and swaps, use agreements for Baylor’s planned $213 million basketball arena, and the size and intende...

The 2021 Governor’s Cups
Mar 14 2022Site Selection’s 2021 winners illustrate exactly why a per capita Governor’s Cup was added to this annual facilities race with the 2013 Governors’ Cups. The original Cup always recognized the state with the most qualified capital investment projects the previous calendar year. For eight years now, Site Selection has als...

TSTC pitching $23 million industrial training center, splitting cost with Waco, McLennan County
Mar 2 2022Every industry in McLennan County would benefit from a $23 million job training center Texas State Technical College hopes to open for students and non-students needing specialized training, TSTC officials said.
TSTC officials joined Kris Collins, the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce’s industry recruiter, in touting such a center before McLenna...

The Lone Star State ended 2021 with a second consecutive month of record-setting employment at more than 13 million jobs and an unemployment rate of 5%, the Texas Workforce Commission has reported.
“It’s important to note here that Texas has not only recovered from the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemi...

Mortgage Assistance is Available for People in the Heart of Texas Region: Apply Before It Runs Out!
Feb 25 2022The Heart of Texas Council of Governments is looking for people to apply for assistance under the Texas Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program (TEMAP) immediately. There is currently $120,000 left for this program and it needs to be spent by August.
The program was made possible through the Texas Department o...

The Heart of Texas’ Regional Directory is Here!
Feb 14 2022The Heart of Texas Council of Governments (HOTCOG) has created an in-depth regional directory for anyone interested in the area! HOTCOG is an organization that is comprised of local governments in the Heart of Texas region which includes Bosque, Falls, Freestone, Hill, Limestone, and McLennan Counties. The purpose of HOTCO...

The Heart of Texas region is a very affordable place to live with a lower cost of living! This favorable cost of living extends to businesses and domestic housing. The cost of living here in the Heart of Texas is below the state and national averages. Housing costs here i...

The Heart of Texas is a wonderful place to live thanks to its amazing quality of life! The Heart of Texas is located in the middle of the “Texas Triangle,” which is formed by Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio. The Heart of Texas offers plenty of arts and cultur...

The Heart of Texas Economic Development District (HOTEDD) is helping Texas businesses by providing financial assistance with the Rural Business Enterprise Grant Revolving Loan Fund (HOTRLF). HOTEDD was awarded funds from USDA-Rural Development to provide loans to rural small businesses in the region. This Rural Business Enterprise Grant Revolving Loa...

The Heart of Texas Economic Development District (HOTEDD) is helping area businesses by providing several incentive programs to them! HOTEDD is dedicated to helping businesses develop and thrive in this region. This is why we go the extra mile to provide businesses with incentives that will help with this goal...

The Heart of Texas Council of Governments (HOTCOG) has the workforce to help your business succeed! The Heart of Texas region is located in the middle of the “Texas Triangle,” which is formed by Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio. The region is known for great things, including our talente...

The Heart of Texas region has opportunity zones that can benefit your business! Locating your business in an opportunity zone has several benefits while simultaneously helping improve the economy of low-income communities. The Federal Tax Cuts & Jobs Act of 2017 implemented opportunity zones to help improve economic development i...

Downtown Bears Waco, Baylor partner on $185 million basketball, concert venue in downtown
Dec 29 2021The city of Waco will partner with Baylor University to fund a $185 million home for the university’s basketball teams on the downtown riverfront, one that would double as a city-run performance venue and anchor a larger development.
The Waco City Council will vote Tuesday on an agreement to seek $6...

Why Locate in the Heart of Texas?
Dec 20 2021Why should businesses locate in the Heart of Texas? The Heart of Texas region offers companies several reasons to locate in our growing area! One reason is location advantage! The Heart of Texas is located in the middle of the “Texas Triangle,” which is formed by Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, an...

The Heart of Texas Economic Development District (EDD) is here to help communities in our region to sustain and achieve economic growth. In addition to completing the regional CEDs, we provide up to data data and information local communities and economic developers can use when planning or working with prospectiv...

The Heart of Texas Council of Governments (HOTCOG) has created and sustained pivotal environmental development programs that are helping the environment here in Texas! HOTCOG’s environmental development programs are designed to use knowledge and apply actions to environmental issues in the state of Texas. These actions can improve air quality...

The Heart of Texas Council of Governments (HOTCOG) partners with the State of Texas Office of the Governor’s State Homeland Security Program to enhance emergency preparedness in this region! The HOTCOG Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Program is a program dedicated to building a network between local, state, and federal
stakeholder...

The cheapest states to run a business
Nov 29 2021Nobody said running a business is cheap, with business owners having to balance a number of payments and procurement processes, integration and costs, such as staff wages, the cost of an internet connection, electricity bills, and taxes.
But the costs of running a business can vary quite a lot around th...

Hillsboro EDC Recognized With Award From TEDC
The TEDC was celebrating its 60th anniversary at the conference.The Texas Economic Development Council (TEDC) presented its annual Community Economic Development Awards (CEDA) for 2021 at its annual conference in Fort Worth last week.
For the first time in its nearly 30-year history, the Hillsbor...

Hello Bello in Waco
Nov 4 2021Hollywood actors Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard celebrated the opening of their Hello Bello diaper plant Tuesday in Waco.
“We sincerely couldn’t be prouder to have planted a flag here,” Bell said. “We needed a dedicated, hardworking workforce, and our co-founders (co-CEOs Sean Kane and Jay McGraw) are from Texas an...

Behind on your mortgage because of Covid? TEMAP may help!
Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) made CDBG CARES funds available through a competitive application process to cities, counties, local and regional nonprofits and regional organizations to provide mortgage assistance in their jurisdictions, service areas or target. Through TEMAP’s competitiv...