ROCKDALE, Texas (KRHD) — Milam County's economy grew from 2022 to 2023, and local officials believe its economy can surpass Alcoa-era growth levels by 2025.
- The county has experienced a 13% economic growth from 2022 to 2023, reaching $904 million in economic activity.
- Local officials like Economic Development Director Jim Gibson believe Milam County's economy can surpass past peaks, aiming to exceed the growth levels seen during the Alcoa plant’s operations by 2025.
- To reach peak growth, Gibson says the county needs to rebuild the manufacturing industry and rely on developing projects like the Sandow Lakes Ranch property at the former Alcoa site.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
"What's your opinion on the state of the economy?" 15ABC said.
"Everything's just a little bit high from inflation. But other than that, it's pretty good," Mason Lillard said.
"I think, you know, it's as good as it can be. I mean, it, we can complain about it all we want, but I don't think there's any particular administration that's gonna really change the way everything works together," Steven Noack, a Rockdale resident, said.
Well, our neighbors are right about that — at least in Milam County.
"We saw real economic growth in Milam County," Jim Gibson, the Economic Development Director of the Rockdale Municipal Development District, said.
The county has seen a 13% growth in its economy, bringing in $904 million from 2022 to 2023.
But Jim Gibson over at the Rockdale Municipal Development District believes they can reach peak growth by next year.
"I really do believe that in 2025, we should have a larger economy than we did when Alcoa was here," he said.
How do we do that?
The plan is pretty simple: rebuild the manufacturing industry and keep our dollars local.
"We are working on our new industrial park, and presently, we have a couple of tenants," Gibson said.
But we're also relying on new developments like the Sandow Lakes Ranch development at the old Alcoa site.
“The benefits to having a larger economy are larger tax base and more resources for our local governments, so then we can take those resources, reinvest them back into the community," he said.
A community that's bound to change and fast.
"My family's been in the oil business and the cattle business since the twenties. Through my grandparents and my dad's stories, I've seen a lot of different things and heard a lot of different stories about what they said this used to be, you know, an old economy of farming and cotton," Noack said. "I see a lot of growth potential here."
