NEWTON, Texas — City officials in Newton are receiving some heat after conversations of a meat processing plant coming to the area began a few weeks ago.
Newton's Mayor Mark Bean wants to clear up confusion.
He says the city has not received any requests or information regarding a meat processing plant/slaughterhouse coming to the area.
The proposed location for this plant is the old Newton County Correctional Center off Highway 87.
Bean tells 12News he believes these conversations began over social media.
He says he does want to grow the city of Newton and agrees that an industrial-size business would create more jobs and revenue.
"We do need industrial here. We need jobs for our kids, and all our kids have to leave town to work someplace else," said Bean. "We do need something here but we want to make it work for our community."
Dozens of residents attended Monday night's city council meeting to seek answers.
Locals presented city leaders with a petition of more than 250 signatures.
The petition requested an ordinance that would ban industrial slaughterhouses in the city of Newton.
Some realize this process might take some time, but that doesn't mean the community will stop attempting to prevent this potential move.
Newton resident Ginger Kalafatis spoke in front of a crowd following the meeting to share her concerns and tell people that this issue will get resolved.
Kalafatis said, "There's some rules that they've set forth and I think we can get our information together and re-approach it next month and hopefully get some answers."
Kalafatis adds that the amount of wastewater that would come from a meat processing plant is a huge concern.
Both sides agree that they do not want this issue to divide Newton and plan on working together for a solution.
Kalafatis tells 12News that she is not opposed to having a business move into the old prison, but emphatically is opposed to it being a slaughterhouse.