Abilene's board established to attract new jobs and businesses on Tuesday approved a budget for the upcoming fiscal year that its chairman says promises to continue its successes of recent years.

Joe Crawford, chairman of the Development Corporation of Abilene board, said DCOA's "fairly conservative" budget bodes well for what have been fruitful attempts to add businesses to the tax base and for companies to expand and jobs to be created.

DCOA's 2008-09 fiscal year budget also includes pay raises in the 3 percent to 4 percent range for employees, Crawford said. The DCOA has nine full-time employees, said Richard Burdine, CEO.

"It's been a good couple of years as far as job creation," Crawford said, and the Abilene Industrial Foundation continues to explore prospects.

As passed, DCOA's budget is based on $10.8 million in anticipated revenues and $11.8 million in expenditures, with a projected $8.5 million unobligated balance as of Sept. 30, 2009.

Crawford said that economies in Texas and Abilene have been fortunate and that Abilene is enjoying success in large part due to oil and wind generation-related businesses. In addition, Crawford said, the wind industry has helped raise "technical wages" locally.

During recent months, DCOA has struck deals with a wind-tower manufacturer that promises to bring 150 jobs, a company that plans to establish a wind turbine service center and potentially create hundreds of jobs within a few years, and a software-testing firm that plans to add 150 new jobs,

DCOA's efforts to create jobs continued Tuesday when its board authorized assistance of $168,000 to help Texas Metals and Recycling (BMWT Leasing) with the purchase and installation of a scrap processing shear and a new rail spur, while also providing training costs for two additional employees. The new positions will push Texas Metals and Recycling, which has been in business since 1909, to 14 full-time employees.

The equipment and rail spur are expected to cost $1.6 million. Installation and construction of the rail spur is expected to cost about $100,000.

In attempting to maintain the trend during the upcoming fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1, DCOA approved funding of:

n $770,409 for the Abilene Industrial Foundation, including $419,709 for operating expenses, $140,000 for marketing, $40,200 for Census 2010, and $170,500 to subcontract with consultants Thelan, Reid, Brown, Raysman & Steiner and Team Concepts.

n $70,000 for the chamber's Military Affairs Committee to host -- for the fourth straight year -- the West Texas Cowboy Cookin' at the home of the Air Force's chief of staff for D.C.-based general officers and many Department of Defense civilian leaders. The total also includes some administrative costs and travel expenses.

n $195,000 to support counseling services from the Texas Tech Small Business Development Center. Although the SBDC provides services in a 16-county area, DCOA only reimburses for hours spent with Abilene-based clients. The new request is based on a reimbursement rate of $75 per counseling hour.

n $131,800 for Abilene's Airport Business Development Management -- an increase of $37,380 over the current fiscal year's budget. The total includes $61,800 for salaries and benefits for the Business Development Manager, $40,000 for air service consulting services and $30,000 for advertising.

n $623,500 for business services provided for the DCOA by Abilene.

n $94,420 to renew a contract with Abilene -- Airport Business Development Management, including $59,420 for operating support and $32,000 for professional services provided by SABRE Airline Solutions to solicit additional airline service at the airport.

n $150,000 to maintain DCOA's properties and $31,750 to insure those properties.

The DCOA also approved $15,840 in "unexpected expenditures" to end the current fiscal year, including costs related to the unexpected retirement of one employee and equipment purchases needed for the employment of one person. Additionally, DCOA officials said, the agency must pay for a new contract needed to hire a company to prepare an application for Texas Emerging Technology grant funds to benefit the new TTU Center for Immunotherapeutic Research.