As Brick-and-Mortar Retail Declines, Cities Must Regroup

    HALTOM CITY, TX, February 28, 2023 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Ron Sturgeon, a business owner and entrepreneur who started his first business 50 years ago in Haltom City, recently attended a hearing where a consultant spoke about a proposal to create a tax increment reinvestment zone, or TIRZ, in Haltom City.

He listened as the consultant described the boarded-up buildings and decrepit conditions (the consultant actually used the word decrepit) in South and Central Haltom City. The consultant explained that funds from the TIRZ could be used only on public improvements, not improvements to private property. They could not, for instance, be used to repair a privately owned building to prepare it for a tenant.

Instead, the consultant said, the TIRZ money would mostly be used for infrastructure, such as sidewalks. The TIRZ, he said, would gradually accumulate funds over its 30-year life from increased property taxes on improvements.

Unfortunately, Haltom United Business Alliance Founder Ron Sturgeon believes that Haltom City, like most other small cities, needs a much more robust plan to bring small businesses back. The residents of South and Central Haltom City can't afford to wait 30 years.

He said, "Haltom City needs hundreds of millions of dollars in private investment, and small businesses are the driver for his revitalization plan." Sturgeon has a long list of successful business startups, has been a successful consultant to small businesses and has developed properties that cater to small businesses.

In pursuit of a more robust plan, the business alliance has been sharing its ideas to spur economic development for 18 months. More than a year ago, it even commissioned a third-party study on how to bring more small business to the beleaguered areas and shared the results with the city manager, the mayor and the members of Haltom City Council.

Although you might expect that a city would welcome input from the business community, that has not been the case in Haltom City.

Joe Palmer, Director of Communications for the Alliance, says, "Haltom City has routinely dismissed our proposals and has yet to even acknowledge that HUBA exists or that the members of the local business community have valuable ideas to contribute to the city's economic development."

"It seems obvious that traditional brick and mortar retailing has declined in the age of COVID, but the city has not made any attempts to make a realistic plan to backfill all the vacant commercial spaces in South and Central Haltom City," said Palmer.

"COVID has been hard on small businesses in America, including those in Haltom City," said Palmer.

Ron Sturgeon made his fortune after starting his first business in the city 50 years ago and is now committed to making sure Haltom City makes the necessary improvements in its governance to prepare plans and execute them to bring the hundreds of millions in investment that is needed to revitalize the southern and central parts of the city. He has a detailed plan to make it happen. Learn more by visiting MakeHaltomCityThriveAgain.com.

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. Due to an outdated and restrictive use matrix that discourages new business and deters growth, several areas of Haltom City have seen a decline in small businesses which provided goods and services and were a significant source of jobs, including the once-thriving automotive industry. However, Haltom City has the opportunity to reverse this trend and should prioritize development of inner-city land and vacant buildings, particularly in the major corridors close to the city's center. The city is financially healthy with a capable manager and staff who would like to see diverse business development occur and need the support of the City Council to make it happen.

About Haltom United Business Alliance
Haltom United Business Alliance (HUBA) is a group of business owners dedicated to making Haltom City the most business-friendly city in Tarrant County. HUBA recognizes the contributions of small business owners to community and their unique role in providing jobs, goods and services, and greater choice to the people of Haltom City. HUBA believes innovative strategies are needed to create a strong business tax base to allow residential tax reductions. All Haltom City business owners are eligible to join HUBA. For more information, contact Joe Palmer at (682) 310-0591 or by email at [email protected] or visit the group's Facebook page at Haltom United Business Alliance.

About Make Haltom City Thrive Again
The Make Haltom City Thrive Again is a movement to return prosperity to the older parts of South and Central Haltom City by luring the small businesses that have left over the past decades back to Haltom City. A vibrant business community not only allows for greater employment and choice of goods and services, but also can ease the tax burden on residents. The movement is led by local entrepreneur and business owner Ron Sturgeon. For more on Sturgeon's 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. HUBA is not a political action committee and does not endorse candidates. If/when Ron endorses candidates, he will do so on his own via the Make Haltom City Thrive Again organization.

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