Isolated thunderstorms this evening. Skies will become partly cloudy after midnight. Low 77F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Isolated thunderstorms this evening. Skies will become partly cloudy after midnight. Low 77F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30%.

Guests tour Orthman Conveying Systems during an open house celebrating the renovated facility.

Guests tour Orthman Conveying Systems during an open house celebrating the renovated facility.

Inflation, fuel costs and other factors bring cause for concern, Cleburne Economic Development Director Grady Easdon said, but for now, Cleburne’s economic outlook appears strong and promising.

Easdon delivered an economic update during Tuesday’s Cleburne City Council meeting.

Easdon highlighted numerous businesses recently opened, soon to open or in the process of expanding. 

Orthman Conveying Systems, for instance, recently completed a 30,000-square-foot addition. Easdon and other officials recently toured the newly renovated facility.

“It’s now finished and in full operation,” Easdon said. “They’re just about fully staffed with about 50 employees paying above market wages and some highly skilled jobs that have been brought to Cleburne.”

Demolition work on Robinson and Wardville streets is a former church on property now owned by Hill College, Easdon said. Although the college has yet to announce plans for the property it will no doubt be used for additional classrooms, Easdon said.

Construction is underway on Scooter’s Coffee on North Main Street, Easdon added with the coffee shop scheduled to open in the near future.

Gelati’s Ice Cream Parlor will soon open at 204 S. Main Street in downtown.

“With supply chain issues the owners has experienced problems with materials and equipment needed,” Easdon said. “But it is coming together and we’re very excited about that opening soon.”

Commercial and industrial building permits continue to climb and Cleburne’s business outlook remains bright, Easdon said.

Despite climbing interest rates, permits issued for new residential construction continues to climb as well. 

The median listing price for a home is $335,000 versus $295,000 as of June last year and the median sales price is $322,000 versus $257,000 in June 2021.

Easdon tempered such good news with a caution.

“Residential building permits, while still above last year’s pace, show signs of slowing somewhat due to rising interest rates, continued labor shortages, material acquisition challenges, high fuel costs and general uncertainty about where the economy may be headed,” Easdon said.

Additional interest rate hikes are predicted, Easdon said, in effort to try to slow inflation.

As do sales tax revenues. City sales tax revenues as of May sit at 16.21 percent higher than the same period last year.

Unemployment rates continue to improve as well.

Cleburne’s current rate is 3.1 percent, compared to 3.3 percent during the last quarter. Johnson County’s rate fell to 3.2 percent from 3.3 percent over the same period. Statewide, the rate dropped to 3.8 percent from 3.9 percent.

For now, Easdon concluded, sales tax receipts an new development continue on positive trends and city leaders continue to field calls from home and business developers interested in Cleburne.

Council members approved emergency water repairs to the tune of $101,723 paid to Thompson Pipe.

Pantheon Construction, a utility contractor for Atmos Energy, struck a marked city water transmission main line on Saturday while working to install gas lines, Cleburne Public Works Director Jeremy Hutt said.

Their action penetrated a 16-inch concrete cylinder pipe, which serves as a main transmission line for city water distribution.

City staff immediately began the process to repair the damage, Hutt said. 

“Due to the extent of the damage and the type of pipe material, third-party resources and equipment were necessary to perform the repairs,” Hutt said. “Staff were able to procure the services of Thompson Pipe, a third-party contractor  that can perform this type of emergency repair on concrete cylinder pipe.”

Specialized equipment and other steps were necessary to perform the repairs, which took about 36 hours to complete.

“This expenditure was necessary for maintaining our water distributions systems, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality compliance and the avoidance of possible system wide water outages,” Hutt said. 

The city will seek reimbursement from Pantheon Construction for all damage and repair costs, Hutt added.

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