Haltom Business Alliance Encourages Small Business Owners To Run for Haltom City Council

    HALTOM CITY, TX, December 28, 2021 /24-7PressRelease/ -- According to the non-profit Urban Land Institute, "Every revitalization project needs a champion – someone to initiate the process, fight to ensure it is done right, and follow through to completion. In most situations, the champion will be a person (or a group of people) who is a committed, responsible stakeholder who recognizes the problem, has dreams of something better, and has the passion to overcome obstacles to achieve results."

In Haltom City, the Haltom United Business Alliance (HUBA) is just such a champion. HUBA is a group of small business owners who recognize that creative strategies are needed at every level in Haltom City. For more than a decade, the city has seen a growing number of vacancies in retail corridors, particularly in the central and south areas. Major grocery stores have moved out of the inner city and a CVS location recently closed their doors for good. Although well-intentioned, newer city ordinances are effectively blighting the once thriving area of small car lots known as the NE 28th Street area. HUBA believes that proactive strategies are greatly needed at this time to prevent further decline and encourage growth of healthy neighborhoods.

Individuals who have started, owned or operated a small business in Haltom City are critically needed on the City Council. No current council member has been through the bureaucratic process involved in starting a business in Haltom City. Additionally, the current council does not seem to be open to broad strategies designed to encourage small business growth. HUBA has proposed reasonable ideas such as streamlining the current lengthy and costly approval process for new businesses, enforcing ordinances to clean up auto businesses (rather than driving them out, leaving vacant areas behind), and tracking small business growth and inquiries from people who want to start or relocate a business. Other suggestions have included improving sign rules and regulations, reconsidering land use designations, reviewing liquor sales ordinances, and researching strategies for revitalizing the NE 28th Street area. HUBA has also offered free mentoring of small business owners through a city-HUBA partnership to no avail.

The Haltom United Business Alliance strongly believes that the addition of business owners to the Haltom City Council will benefit both residents and business owners alike. A healthy blend of residential and retail/commercial use is key to the success and long-term sustainability of any neighborhood. Council members should look at the big picture when setting policy and should recognize that different areas of the city will have different needs and goals.

If you are a Haltom City business owner who wants to make a difference, consider running for City Council. Applications for the May 2022 ballot must be filed between January 19 and February 18, so time is of the essence. For more information about this issue, feel free to contact Joe Palmer, HUBA Communications Director, at [email protected] or (682) 310-0591.

1 Beyard, Michael D., Michael Pawlukiewicz, and Alex Bond. Ten Principles for Rebuilding Neighborhood Retail. Washington, D.C.: ULI–the Urban Land Institute, 2003.

About Haltom City
Haltom City is a diverse, majority working-class city located between Dallas and Fort Worth in Tarrant County, TX. Haltom City is minutes from both the DFW Airport and Downtown Fort Worth with direct access to major highways including I-820 and SH-121. The city is financially healthy with median income growth of approximately 8% in the past year and a city manager and capable staff who would like to see diverse business development occur.

About Haltom United Business Alliance
Haltom United Business Alliance (HUBA) is a group of business owners dedicated to representing existing business interests in Haltom City while promoting the growth of diverse businesses as well. HUBA recognizes that effective and strategic business growth can create a stronger tax base and will serve to enhance quality of life for residents, city employees, and business owners as well. All Haltom City business owners are eligible to join HUBA. Dues are $20 annually or $50 for a lifetime membership, and membership is 100% confidential. For more information, contact Joe Palmer at (682) 310-0591 or by email at [email protected] or visit the group's Facebook Page

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