City secretary's findings on the recall petition go to the council Nov. 17, with a draft due out Friday

Seven weeks after recall organizers turned in their petition pages, McKinney residents are about to learn whether those signatures hold up.

The agenda for the Nov. 17 City Council meeting, posted Tuesday, includes an item to receive the City Secretary's submittal and findings on the recall petition filed under the city charter. The staff summary lists no action or vote for the council.

The Dallas Morning News reported Tuesday that the city also plans to publish a draft of the findings for residents to review on Friday, Nov. 13.

The petition seeks recall elections for Mayor Bill Cox and council members Ernest Lynch, Justin Beller and Geré Feltus. Organizers submitted about 7,400 signatures in September, the Morning News reported, more than the roughly 5,800 valid signatures needed to force an election if enough of them are verified.

What the charter requires

According to the agenda summary, the City Secretary's office received the petition on Sept. 25 and must check it for sufficiency and compliance with the charter and state law.

If the City Secretary certifies the petition as sufficient, she notifies each official named in it. Any official who has not resigned within five days of that notice faces a recall election, which the council must order at its next regular meeting, the summary says. The findings are being presented by City Secretary Empress Drane and City Attorney Mark S. Houser.

Disputes on both sides

The recall drive started in August after the council unanimously approved a site plan for a mosque, a decision city leaders described as a procedural review rather than an endorsement of any religion, the Morning News reported. Some signers have also cited frustration with how the city has managed growth, including projects such as the Sunset Amphitheater and the commercial terminal at McKinney National Airport.

Organizers have said the petition reflects "a loss of public confidence" in the four officials.

Former Mayor George Fuller has asked law enforcement to investigate the petition, alleging that some signature collectors made false statements on the sworn pages. McKinney police passed his complaint to the Texas Rangers, who said in mid-October that they were reviewing it but had not opened an investigation.

Recall supporters, in turn, have filed complaints alleging that people who signed were intimidated and harassed, according to the Morning News.

The council meeting starts at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17, and is streamed live on the city's website.

Sources

legistar1.granicus.com

Yahoo