Haltom United Business Alliance Seeks Two Changes in Local Sign Ordinances

    HALTOM CITY, TX, February 15, 2022 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Haltom United Business Alliance (HUBA) is a group of Haltom City business owners who would like to see more growth, more opportunity and a more welcoming attitude toward existing and new small businesses in Haltom City, TX. They also want to see businesses grow so that Haltom City has a strong tax base and can pay its first responders salaries that equal or exceed those paid by nearby cities.

"Some of the changes that Haltom City can make to become more business friendly probably seem small, but they are significant to Haltom business owners," said Joe Palmer HUBA's Communications Director.

One such change, according to Palmer, relates to signs on businesses that are at intersections in commercial parts of the city. "Right now, putting a sign on the front and back or front and side of a business that is at an intersection in Haltom City requires extra public hearings and extra approvals," said Palmer.

The city council could amend the Haltom City sign ordinance to allow businesses at intersections that are not abutting residential areas to have more than one sign, without going through a long process of public hearings, said Palmer.

HUBA would also like to see local sign ordinances changed so that art murals are considered neither signs nor graffiti and don't require a permit. "If a business owner wants to commission an artist to paint a mural on the side of her business, they shouldn't have to comply with the sign ordinance because it isn't a sign, and they shouldn't have a city code inspector coming along and fining them, insisting the mural is graffiti," according to Palmer.

A few years ago, the owner of a Haltom City newsstand grew tired of graffiti artists tagging his building. He knew those artists respected other kinds of art, so he commissioned a mural of a dinosaur as a means of getting the artists to do their tagging elsewhere. His creative solution worked well until a city code inspector decided the mural was graffiti and began to fine the business owner, claimed Palmer.

Although city eventually relented and let the mural stay, according to a story in the Fort Worth Star Telegram, HUBA believes that Haltom's sign ordinance should have a category for art murals so that owners who want to beautify their businesses don't get fined or hassled, said Palmer. "The art murals create work for local artists, reduce graffiti and beautify Haltom City, so it's a win for everyone," according to HUBA's Communications Director.

Finally, HUBA would like the city to do a better job in building relationships with its landmark businesses. As an example, Palmer mentioned Clown Burger, a business that has operated in Haltom City since 1959.

"There is something wrong when the city's approach to an anonymous complaint about a hamburger joint with a peeling clown sign gets the owner so riled that it produces a raft of bad press for Haltom City and bad feelings on all sides," said Palmer. According to a news story, the owner claimed the city gave her a list of items that needed to fixed and little time to make the needed changes. According to her account, the city also, initially, told her that she could not repaint the sign on her building herself because the work had to be done by a licensed and bonded sign painter.

"We are certainly glad that the issues got resolved and that the owner of Clown Burger was able to save a sign that has been on the side of her building since the 1980s," said Palmer.

HUBA believes that Haltom City has an able city manager and competent city employees, and that the city can become more business friendly. "Haltom City Council can make a small step in that direction by making it easier for small businesses at intersections to add a second sign and by rewriting ordinances to recognize that art murals are neither signs nor graffiti," said Palmer. They also can help set a different tone in the city's dealings with its landmark businesses, added Palmer.

Follow HUBA on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Haltom-United-Business-Alliance-HUBA. To be added to HUBA's email list or to share other ways that you think Haltom City could be more business friendly, contact Joe Palmer at [email protected] or (682) 310-0591.

About Haltom United Business Alliance
Haltom United Business Alliance (HUBA) wants to give members of Haltom City's business community an advocate and to keep those businesses informed about issues that affect them. They want to make sure Haltom City is business friendly and nurture small business growth, including automotive businesses, and bring more restaurants including breweries and a major grocery store to the city. New businesses and growth in existing businesses will create a stronger tax base which will allow the city to pay its first responders wages that are competitive with surrounding cities while improving Haltom City's facilities and infrastructure. Anyone who owns a business in Haltom City is eligible to join. Dues are $20 annually or $50 for a lifetime membership, and membership is 100% confidential. To join, contact Joe Palmer at (682) 310-0591 or by email at [email protected]. Visit the group's Facebook at Haltom United Business Alliance.

About Haltom City
Haltom City is a medium-sized city between Dallas and Fort Worth in Tarrant County, TX. The city is diverse and majority working class, with a growing population that is approximately 10% Asian-American and 45% Hispanic. Haltom City benefits from being only minutes from both DFW Airport and Downtown Fort Worth, with direct access to major highways including I-820 and SH-121. Small businesses that have historically provided products, services, and jobs to residents included a once thriving automotive industry. The city has seen a decline in small businesses, especially automotive businesses. The city is healthy financially, with median household income growing around 8% in the past year. Haltom City has opportunity for continued growth through undeveloped land and many vacant buildings, especially in major corridors close to the city's center. The city has good staff and a city manager who is interested in seeing more businesses, but they can only do as directed by the Haltom City Council.

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