between developers or cities and community coalitions. CBAs are legally binding, enforceable agreements that call for a range of benefits to be produced by the development project. They allow community groups to have a voice in shaping a project, to press for community benefits that are tailored to their particular needs, and to enforce the developer's promises," and asks that RMC make HCEDD an equal party in the CBA negotiation process, as well as create processes for public openness and transparency. Allison Thacker and Ryan LeVasseur, RMC's president and director of real estate respectively, argued against the resolution, stating that HCEDD does not have legal authority to enter into a CBA contract and that the large coalition represents a substantive portion, but not the entire community. Students also shared that RMC "threatened to disown the [Student Association] as a legitimate campus body if the SA Senate passed a resolution supporting the HCEDD as a signatory party in the CBA." Funding Rice Management Company has announced plans to invest $100 million in renovation for The Ion. The Ion falls within Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ) #2, and RMC is seeking $75M in cost reimbursement from City of Houston taxes that are expected as a result of development on properties within the innovation district. The Ion falls within a Texas Census block group that is both a Texas Enterprise Zone and an Opportunity zone, qualifying it for certain financial incentives at the local, state, and federal levels. These can also result in tens of millions of dollars in cost savings for the developer through taxpayer subsidies over the course of a decade. Texas Enterprise Zone Enterprise Zones are census block groups in Texas with a poverty rate at or above 20%. They are a way to collect various local and state incentives together to spur innovation in order to revitalize an area that is considered distressed. Local benefits may include but aren't limited to tax abatement, permitting fee waivers, publicly-owned buildings transferred below market cost, and low-interest loans. State benefits may include state sales and use tax refunds, depending on the level of investment and the number of jobs created. Opportunity Zone This federal program is also for areas that are considered distressed, providing tax benefits such as tax abatement to private investors in hopes of creating economic development and jobs in those areas. These census tracts were nominated by Governor Greg