A lawsuit filed by three Granbury city leaders has halted plans for a recall election linked to opposition to a proposed data centre in the Texas city.
Mayor Jim Jarratt, mayor pro tem Bruce Wadley and council member Skip Overdier are named as plaintiffs in the case, despite all three being among the officials targeted by the recall campaign.
The legal action was filed on Tuesday, 6 October, by Houston-based lawyer Andy Taylor, around 30 minutes before a Granbury City Council meeting at which the election was due to be scheduled.
Mr Taylor’s filing argues that the recall petition is invalid because of alleged “fraud, forgery and other non-accidental defects” by one or more people involved in collecting signatures. The lawsuit seeks to prevent the election from taking place.
Recall petition over Granbury data centre plans
The petition was signed by more than 1,300 registered voters, representing about 15 per cent of those eligible to vote in Granbury.
Campaigners say city officials failed to provide sufficient information about plans for a data centre and associated power facilities on roughly 2,200 acres of land annexed by the city earlier this year.
The development, known as Project Patriot, has become the focus of a wider dispute over transparency and public consultation. Residents have previously alleged that officials did not properly disclose discussions connected with the proposed site.
At the council meeting on 6 October, Mr Taylor announced the lawsuit before the recall timetable could be approved. City attorney Jeremy SoRelle then advised councillors to stop the scheduling process while the legal challenge was considered.
Neither Mr Jarratt, Mr Wadley nor Mr Overdier disclosed their involvement in the case during the meeting. The three officials had faced calls to resign at an earlier meeting, when some residents walked out after the council defended its conduct.
Craig Jackson, a Granbury resident and volunteer with Voices of Granbury, the group behind the petition, said the legal action had angered many residents.
“It’s been blatantly disrespectful how they’ve treated citizens,” he said, adding that several council members and the mayor had campaigned on promises of transparency.
Mr Jackson said Voices of Granbury expected the recall effort to continue. The group disputes the allegations made in the lawsuit and maintains that the petition should proceed to a public vote.
Mr Taylor did not respond to questions after the meeting. The plaintiffs had also not provided a response to requests for comment at the time of publication.
