Recently, our city council voted to annex a vacant lot and an agricultural barn into the city limits—believing this project will open the door for new business opportunities. Their intentions are good. But as our community grapples with population loss, the closing of local businesses, and a shrinking tax base, we cannot afford to confuse activity with progress.
Economic development is one of the most misunderstood topics in small-town governance. For decades, the dominant strategy has been a top-down approach—invest in land, infrastructure, and outside recruitment, and hope that “if you build it, they will come.” It’s a comforting narrative because it promises quick wins. But for many rural communities, including ours, it has yielded very little of the growth we were told to expect.
Around the Panhandle and across small-town America, communities look tired. Main streets feel neglected. Families leave for better opportunities elsewhere. And yet we continue relying on the same old playbook—one that benefits those already positioned at the top while doing very little to strengthen the foundation the rest of us stand on.
If we want a different future, we must choose a different strategy.
Fix the Foundation First
Here’s the hard news: No one is coming to save your town. A vacant lot with water, sewer, and gas installed isn’t going to reverse decades of outward migration or economic stagnation.
What should concern every taxpayer is that these “investments” consume precious public dollars that could instead be used to strengthen the basics that actually attract families and businesses: housing options, childcare availability, clean neighborhoods, community spaces, broadband, safe infrastructure, and a strong sense of place.
Studies show that business owners and potential residents make decisions based largely on first impressions—community character, vitality, and quality of life. If we asked every citizen to write down just one project that would meaningfully improve Spearman, Stratford, or Gruver, we would get a realistic list of priorities far more impactful than a speculative annexation.
That list should be the foundation of a true economic development plan.
Grow Your Own
The second hard truth: It is unlikely that a large outside employer will relocate here. Our strongest path forward is to invest in our own citizens and create opportunities for them inside the local economy.
Most of our towns once had multiple grocery stores, pharmacies, restaurants, clothing shops, mechanics, and service providers. Those businesses weren’t recruited—they were grown. They were owned by our neighbors.
But over time we shifted our spending online or in Amarillo, Perryton, and Liberal. At the same time, our young people left for jobs that simply don’t exist here, and we did little to build local pathways for them to return.
Our median household income lags the state average. Our economy leans heavily on government jobs—reliable but not high-wage and not growth-producing. The lack of diverse employment pushes young families elsewhere, while the absence of skills-training and small-business support makes it hard for new local entrepreneurs to get started.
If we want plumbers, welders, electricians, mechanics, designers, childcare providers, and culinary trades right here—we must cultivate them. This means creating training programs, remote-work support, local business incentives, and community partnerships that put people—not land speculation—at the center.
Expect Resistance
When new ideas challenge old assumptions, resistance is guaranteed. Some community leaders only see economic development as building things, not building people. Others have benefitted from the status quo and feel threatened by change. But no community in history has grown by clinging to “the way we’ve always done it.”
The goal should never be to “win” a vote. The goal should be to build trust, foster collaboration, and make...
A Better Way Forward
Our towns were built by generations who lived the principles of Dirt Democracy—local people rolling up their sleeves, solving their own problems, and investing in what strengthened their communities right then, not someday.
They built hospitals, schools, and civic institutions—not because a corporation was coming, but because their community needed them.
Dirt Democracy is about returning to that mindset: practical, people-centered, boots-on-the-ground problem-solving.
It isn’t flashy. It doesn’t promise instant success. But it works.
A Winning Strategy
Small towns are the best places on earth to live and raise families. But we can’t rely on outdated economic theories to secure our future. We must invest in our existing assets—our people, our talent, our youth, our neighborhoods, our local businesses, and our sense of community.
If we fix the foundation and grow our own, economic opportunity will follow.
And that—not annexing another vacant lot—is how we build a future worthy of the generations coming behind us.
Suzanne Bellsnyder is editor and publisher of the Hansford County Reporter-Statesman and Sherman County Gazette. A former Capitol staffer with decades of experience in Texas politics and policy, she now focuses on how state decisions shape rural life through her newspapers and the Texas Rural Reporter. You can subscribe to the newsletter at www.TexasRuralReporter.Substack.com