Haltom City Continues to Work with Flawed Data as It Measures the Size of Its Business Community

    HALTOM CITY, TX, March 14, 2023 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Haltom United Business Alliance (HUBA) has obtained the city's list of certificates of occupancy several times, most recently in June 2022. It has determined that the list is deeply flawed because it counts new certificates of occupancy but doesn't subtract businesses that have closed or moved.

"Because Haltom City is using a bad list, the city thinks it has, for instance, many more automotive businesses than it actually has," said HUBA Communications Director Joe Palmer. "Even the city's total number of businesses in all categories is very flawed," added Palmer.

To get better data, HUBA recently called every single business to gather accurate information. In addition, HUBA visited every single business in all of the declining corridors in South and Central Haltom City, where more small businesses are desperately needed.

Palmer said it's important that these numbers be right because city staff uses the city's numbers to inform Haltom City Council. The Haltom City Council continues to resist cleaning up issues within the codes that would make it easier to bring a business to Haltom City. For instance, even a drycleaner can't open in the city without public hearings in three of the four commercial zones that allow this type of business.

Jayson Steele, the city's Community Health Specialist, an outspoken critic of the business community, compliments the city's progress, based on the data the city has, but without much more research, his conclusions are suspect because the data he is relying on is flawed data supplied by the city, which does not track businesses that close or move. Our research on the ground calling or mailing to the city's list says it is likely about 25% wrong. He also uses occupancy percentages on flawed data.

HUBA has hired a third-party consultant who delivered a report to the city Council outlining ideas on how to bring more small businesses, but the council didn't even acknowledge receiving the research report and ignored the recommendations. Haltom City Council members have said that they believe the city's business owners should not have a seat at the table and should not be suggesting ideas to spur the city's economic development.

Ron Sturgeon, a business owner in the city who started his first business over 50 years ago, believes that having a robust relationship with business owners is crucial to a growing city and allows a good balance of taxes with businesses paying their share so that Haltom City's residents don't have to pay as much.

Sturgeon has started a campaign to bring small business back to the areas of Haltom City that most need them. To build support for revitalization, he has put up a billboard on 121 that says, "Make Haltom City Thrive Again; Time for a Change."

Sturgeon has had many business successes since he started his first business in Haltom City. He still owns businesses here and is now committed to making sure Haltom City makes the necessary improvements in its governance to have an opportunity to bring prosperity back. 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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