‘I will not resign:’ Granbury leaders address recall in contentious meeting over data center

Granbury city officials, including Mayor Jim Jarratt, Mayor Pro Tem Bruce Wadley, and council members Greg Corrigan, Gary "Skip" Overdier, and Zeb Ullom, recently convened in a contentious meeting to address recall petitions. The recall effort, spearheaded by groups like Grassroots Granbury, stems from strong community opposition to the proposed Project Patriot, a large-scale data center and power-generation campus slated for the former Knox Ranch property.

Residents accused city officials of lacking transparency regarding the development and other property-related decisions, specifically citing alleged violations of the Texas Open Meetings Act. One of the petitioners, Rachel Jacobson, criticized the necessity of legal action to ensure city compliance with its own charter. A separate lawsuit from April further alleged that officials tried to circumvent quorum rules during a data center tour and questioned public access to annexation documents.

The city initially rejected the recall petitions in July, citing insufficient verified signatures and vague allegations. However, following a legal challenge from recall organizers, Granbury reversed its decision. The city filed with the Second Court of Appeals in Fort Worth, agreeing to present the petitions to the council within 15 days.

During Monday's meeting, Mayor Jarratt and other targeted officials defended their actions and challenged the validity of the petitions under the city charter and Texas election law. They asserted issues with signatures and the specificity of allegations. With no resignations, the city is now mandated to hold a recall election for the involved officials, which is currently scheduled for May 2027, as a November election was deemed too late due to verification deadlines.