Azle City Council voices hopes and concerns in debate around facade and signage grant maximums
AZLE — Last Tuesday, Feb.
18, the Azle City Council debated revising its facade and signage grant ordinance to allow more flexibility in funding improvements for businesses on Main Street.
Azle Mayor Alan Brundrett and Mayor Pro Tem Randa Goode suggested increasing the amount of funds the city can provide on a case-by-case basis.
Currently, the program is capped at $20,000 with a 50% matching requirement for facade improvements and half that for signage. This means the city will provide a maximum of $10,000 if the business can fund $10,000 to the project themselves. Brundrett and Goode suggested raising the cap to $30,000 or even $50,000 and granting the council discretion to approve funding up to 100% in cases of financial hardship.
Brundrett and Goode’s idea first came up during a recent beautification board meeting. Then they decided to broach the idea to council.
Dissent arose regarding the potential for inconsistencies in the council’s discretion and concerns about the possible abuse of the funds.
Council members debated if and how applicants should be required to submit financial documentation, such as tax returns or profit and loss statements, to prove financial hardship.
“I want rules,” councilmember Brian Conner said. “I want black and white. I don’t want to give it to one person and not to another and have that person come up and say, ‘well, why can you do this for them but not us.’ I want very clear-cut rules and expectations for everyone.”
In 2024, the city issued and completed four facade grants, funding $17,866.12 to beautify local storefronts.
It also amended its Facade and Signage Improvement Program to loosen requirements and increase accessibility to these funds. In early February, Mandala Elemental Wonders was awarded $538.26 for a new aluminum sign. Flying G Western Wear at 109 E. Main St. was awarded a $6,950 reimbursement, with $1,950 allocated for exterior painting and the maximum $5,000 approved for signage. Notably, Flying G’s estimated cost for signage was $11,420.38, exceeding the maximum allowed to be reimbursed under the current ordinance by about $700.
Along with helping businesses that may be short on funds, council members suggested increased funds could act as an even stronger motivator for businesses on Main Street to improve the aesthetics of their facilities. They also considered tying future grants to design standards which are required, but not yet defined, by the city’s comprehensive master plan.
“What we wanted to do on it was basically to give council more leniency and less restrictions on the facade and improvement grant,” Brundrett said. “We’re thinking the best thing is (having) no rules or guidelines to it, because that could hinder the process, but just make it up to basically the council’s opinion of how good of a project this would be for the city. Then you have the flexibility to decide what amount of matching grant they would get, all the way up to 100% if you wish.”
As a discussion item, no final decisions were made about the future of the grant program. City staff will further refine the proposal before it is brought back for further discussion or a vote.
