North Richland Hills unveils new City Hall complex
An atheist group, angry about the display of the phrase “In God We Trust” in the new City Hall, helped usher in some controversy Friday as North Richland Hills officials celebrated the opening of a long-awaited municipal complex.
About 20 people stood outside City Hall with signs about honoring the U.S. Constitution and respecting diversity. Amid the celebration that included City Hall tours, live music and food, they said they also object to Christian prayers being said at the beginning of council meetings.
“It’s unconstitutional,” said resident Randy Word of Metroplex Atheists. “They should stop doing it.”
Protester Mark Moore of Arlington said he does not believe “it’s the city’s or government’s business to say things about God. I think that’s up to the individuals to decide.”
Mayor Oscar Trevino said the city has no plans remove the display or stop saying prayers at the beginning of council meetings.
The crowd at the City Hall ceremony appeared to number in the hundreds. A prayer was said by the Rev. Danny Tenney of City Point United Methodist Church to shouts of protests from the atheist group.
“Their belief is no God. That’s OK. They can believe that,” Trevino said in an interview. “We say a prayer, we have ‘In God We Trust’ more to let us know that there is a higher authority.
“Because we do believe, we’re going to treat them with the respect that they deserve.”
The City Council voted in March to display the motto in a “prominent location.” The 4-inch-high lettering was placed outside the offices of the mayor and council members at a cost of $560. Residents have to go through sets of doors to see the motto.
“The city has received several offers from people to cover the cost, so it’s not tax-funded,” city spokeswoman Mary Peters wrote in an email.
The new, 180,000-square-foot City Hall — North Richland Hills’ largest municipal project — is expected to be a catalyst for shops, restaurants, a hotel, entertainment venues and apartments. Currently, 304 full-time employees who previously worked in six locations have been brought together at City Hall, Peters wrote.
City workers earn $41,834 on average. The hope is that 300 workers who earn a middle-class salary might be a draw for businesses in a 79-acre site that has City Hall as its centerpiece.
The site had been the home to the former North Hills Mall, which closed in 2004. Three years later, the buildings were razed. The mall site remained vacant since, creating an eyesore in an area that, given its location near Northeast Loop 820 and Boulevard 26, would seem to be prime for development. Most of the land is privately owned. City officials provided no details Friday about potential development.
“It will come,” city Planning Manager Clayton Comstock said. “It’s on its way.”
The City Hall project has come with some sacrifices. In May 2012, residents approved $48 million in bonds to help pay for the project. In September 2012, the council voted to increase the tax rate by 4 cents from 57 cents per $100 of assessed valuation to 61 cents because of the cost. The vote marked the first tax rate increase in 19 years.
The project was launched because the recent expansion of Northeast Loop 820 cut into the former City Hall’s parking lot. The former City Hall is now for sale.
The cost of building the new City Hall increased to $60.1 million from the original $56.8 million projected cost. The total cost will remain within the projected $70 million, city officials said. Some money was set aside to buy the land and for furniture, fixtures, equipment, and architect and engineering fees. Rainy weather also pushed back the projected opening date about four or five months.
This story was originally published May 13, 2016 at 9:54 PM with the headline "North Richland Hills unveils new City Hall complex."