Granbury residents submit ‘no confidence’ petition for city manager, city attorney over data center

Over 800 residents of Granbury, Texas, have submitted a petition to the City Council, demanding a "no confidence" vote against City Manager Chris Coffman and City Attorney Jeremy SoRelle. Resident Daniel Piatt presented the petitions, stating that the public has lost trust in the city's top administrative officials due to concerns over transparency, public records, and the handling of the proposed "Project Patriot" data center development.

The controversy is linked to the rezoning of the 2,000-acre Knox Ranch property, where Dallas-based Bilateral Energy LLC has proposed a power generation and data center project. Residents have continuously opposed the proposal, questioning the city's decision-making process. The petitions specifically accuse Coffman of misleading the public about his knowledge of Project Patriot and call for a formal review of SoRelle's legal guidance regarding transparency and state law compliance.

Adding to the dispute, the petitions also cite a pending lawsuit filed by four Hood County property owners. This lawsuit alleges that city officials violated the Texas Open Meetings Act by coordinating a "walking quorum" during a tour of a Dallas-area data center. Although the lawsuit is ongoing and its allegations are unproven, Mayor Jim Jarratt accepted the petition packet through the city secretary, but the council did not discuss or take action on the request during the meeting, consistent with public comment rules. City spokesperson Jeff Newpher has noted that the city charter does not provide a mechanism for mandated council action on such citizen petitions and that the pending litigation restricts officials from public discussion on the matter.