Council members at the Aug. 2 budget workshop pressed city leaders about a multi-year stall in sales-tax growth and asked what the city is doing to recruit retail businesses.
City staff showed that while property-tax revenue has driven most recent growth, sales tax has been essentially flat over several years. Council members and the mayor said the pattern limits the city's ability to shift the tax burden off residential property owners and into retail consumption.
Why it matters: Sales tax growth is closely tied to where retail developers place shops; stagnant sales tax leaves the city more reliant on property taxes for operating revenue. Council members said shifts to more retail would reduce upward pressure on property-tax bills for homeowners.
Barriers discussed: Officials and staff named several issues developers cite when evaluating Haslet:
- Nearby large retail concentrations, including Alliance and other developed corridors, change retailers' market calculus;
- Low residential roof-top density within a target retail catchment area (developers typically model 3-, 5-, and 10-mile market radii and look for a minimum number of nearby households);
- Roadway infrastructure and congestion (long term traffic flow, train crossings and two-lane local roads) that make access harder for potential customers;
- Land-parcel suitability and site criteria used by major retailers; staff said many recent building permits were for health-care users rather than retail.
Steps considered: Council members discussed bringing retail developers and brokers to a future council meeting so they can explain site-selection criteria. Staff and councilors also said renewed outreach via the regional chamber of commerce was underway to lift Haslet's visibility with regional retailers.
What council asked staff to do: Officials asked staff to invite retail developers and local brokers to a council meeting and to present a market-criteria briefing that compares Haslet's rooftop counts, daytime population and car counts to retailers' thresholds.
Ending: Council did not adopt a new policy on Aug. 2 but directed staff to pursue developer outreach and a data briefing to clarify what kinds of retail are likely to consider Haslet.