City of Claremore announces 3 referendum petitions tied to data center project are invalid
The City of Claremore announced that three referendum petitions challenging ordinances related to the Project Mustang data center were found legally invalid. The petitions failed to adhere to state-mandated procedures, specifically the requirement to file true copies with the City Clerk before collecting signatures. This procedural defect, supported by Oklahoma Supreme Court precedent, renders the petitions and all gathered signatures invalid, allowing the data center ordinances to stand.
The City of Claremore has declared three referendum petitions, submitted to challenge ordinances tied to the Project Mustang data center, to be legally invalid. This decision was announced by the City after reviews by the Claremore City Clerk and the City's legal counsel.
The core reason for the invalidation is the petitioners' failure to follow state-mandated procedures, specifically the requirement to pre-file true copies of the petitions with the Claremore City Clerk before circulating them for signatures. According to the City, this omission is a fatal defect that, as per multiple Oklahoma Supreme Court opinions, strips district courts of jurisdiction to hear any actions by petition proponents and is a vital safeguard against fraud.
The petitions aimed to challenge three ordinances passed by the City of Claremore in May, all related to the Project Mustang data center. The City stated that while it supports citizens' rights to democratic engagement, the petitions cannot be upheld due to Oklahoma's laws and constitution. An official legal notice regarding the petitions' invalidity has been published in the Claremore Daily Progress.