Haltom City Needs Small Businesses to Serve the Community and Create More Tax Dollars

    HALTOM CITY, TX, December 20, 2022 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Joe Palmer, Communications Director for Haltom United Business Alliance, states that the business community is pleased that large distribution centers and new buildings are being built on the north side of Haltom City and even a few on the south side of town.

"Haltom City's City Manager has done a good job marketing the city to companies needing distribution centers," said Palmer. He notes, "In most, if not all, cases, these large distribution centers do not collect or remit sales tax to the city." They do not do so because sales tax is not typically collected from distributors and warehousers along the supply chain.

Ron Sturgeon, a Haltom City business person and activist for small businesses, says, "We need more local small businesses not only so that Haltom City residents can spend their dollars close to home, but also so that the city can pay for the services that depend partly on sales tax revenues."

In addition to attracting new distribution centers, Palmer says, Haltom City needs to attract small businesses to fill the smaller, older buildings that are vacant in the main corners of the south and central parts of the city so that these areas can be revitalized and produce more tax revenue.

"There is certainly great value in the big projects, the new buildings and distribution centers, coming to Haltom City," said Palmer. "There is also value, however, in incremental development, in small businesses coming back one at a time to the main corridors in South and Central Haltom," he said. Charles Marohn, Jr. in his book Strong Towns, praises this bottom-up approach to rebuilding prosperity because it is more sustainable and puts less pressure on infrastructure. Cities that do an analysis of revenue produced per acre are often surprised to find that enclaves of small businesses are more productive per acre than large big box retailers like Wal-Mart.

Ron Sturgeon one of the founding members of the business alliance is an outspoken activist for the small business community and wants to see the city make itself in to the friendliest place to do business in Tarrant County. He has launched a new campaign, Make Haltom City Thrive Again, to reform the city's codes and make it friendlier to small businesses. You may have noticed his billboard along 121 in the southern part of the city with the tagline "Bring the Businesses Back."

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 an 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 come to Haltom City, but they can only do as directed by City Council.

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 nurtures 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. HUBA believes that the southern and central parts of the city need a revitalization plan, to prevent further degradation in those areas, and wants that to happen before the inner-city experiences increased crime and more blight. As retail and office uses are in decline, its more critical than ever to attract new businesses. They believe that such a plan requires a strong relationship and support of the business community. Anyone who owns a business in Haltom City is eligible to join HUBA. 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 Make Haltom City Thrive Again
The Make Haltom City Thrive Again website offers information and resources about its purpose and goals. For more on Sturgeon's personal ideas and background, check out his book Keeping the Lights on Downtown in America's Small Cities and watch the videos on his Facebook page. Ron is also the founder of the Haltom United Business Alliance (HUBA) which represents existing business interests in Haltom City and promotes growth of diverse businesses as well. HUBA is not a political action committee and does not endorse candidates. If/when Ron endorses candidates, he will do so on his own with the Make Haltom City Thrive Again organization.

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