HUBA Executive Director Drew Weakley Invites Local Business Owners to Follow Page to Stay Up to Date on Efforts to Make Haltom City Business Friendly Again
HALTOM CITY, TX, March 23, 2021 /Neptune100/ — A group of local business owners in Haltom City, Texas, have been hard at work since they decided to form Haltom United Business Alliance (HUBA) in February. The group has continued to add members as it pursues its mission is to share the point of view of Haltom City’s business owners and to work toward making Haltom City friendly to small business again.
HUBA is preparing to send a questionnaire to the candidates for mayor and the candidates for places 1, 2, and 7 on the Haltom City Council to let those seeking office outline their position on small businesses and elaborate on the changes they would like to see. Please follow the new HUBA Facebook page to see how the candidates respond.
“When Haltom City handles getting a sign repainted at Clown Burger so badly that the business owner is on the evening news, and when a national truck accessories retailer wants to open a store in an area of Haltom zoned for retail but finds getting extra approvals requires jumping through so many hoops with Haltom City that they just open on Rufe Snow, and when Haltom City Council can’t even figure out how to say yes to a new snow cone stand, you begin to see a pattern,” said Haltom United Business Alliance Executive Director Drew Weakley.
“We have a Haltom City Council right now that does not have a single member who has ever had to make a payroll, apply for a certificate of occupancy, building permit or plat,” said Weakley, owner of All Star Pawn in Haltom City. “As a result, many of the policies they have enacted make it hard for some of Haltom’s existing businesses to operate and less likely that new businesses will choose to come to Haltom City,” said Weakley.
“To add insult to injury, a recent Facebook post by Haltom resident Gayle Griffin implied that business owners who live outside the city shouldn’t have a voice in business ordinances, which shows the disregard that some people have for what small business owners contribute to Haltom City.
“We absolutely believe that all of the current members of Haltom City Council want the best for the city,” Weakley said. “We believe they are sincere, but we also believe that they don’t know what they don’t know because they haven’t experienced the city’s processes from the other side of the desk,” added Weakley.
“We started a HUBA Facebook page because the people who own small businesses in Haltom City need to hear these stories,” said Weakley. “They need to know who is making Haltom City’s landmark businesses like Clown Burger feel unwelcome and who is behind writing rules that make it harder for new businesses to open in Haltom City,” said Weakley.
“Anyone who owns a business in Haltom City can be a HUBA member,” said Weakley. “I encourage anyone with an interest in creating more business opportunities in Haltom City to follow the new page, get in touch with me to get on the HUBA email list and join in a serious effort to make Haltom City business-friendly again,” he added.
“Anyone who has tried to develop a new property or open a new business in Haltom City lately knows how frustrating some of the processes can be,” said Weakley. By banding together, Haltom City’s small and medium-sized business owners can help to make changes that will create a better climate for all business, Weakley insists. He is also interested in hearing about issues business owners have experienced in Haltom City so that HUBA can push for reforms where they are needed.
HUBA supports more diversity on Haltom City Council. Although Haltom City is approximately 45% Hispanic, according to data from Datausa.com, only one current member of city council is Hispanic, and term limits prevent him from running for reelection. A local real estate agent who did not want to be named because he feared the city would retaliate against him said, “Haltom City has been running off some kinds of small businesses for years, and local politicians are simply out of touch with the citizens and their desire to have products, services and employment these businesses would provide.”
Follow HUBA on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Haltom-United-Business-Alliance-HUBA. To be added to HUBA’s email list or to discuss your experiences dealing with Haltom City, contact Drew Weakley 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 Drew Weakley 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.
