Reno residents want to disincorporate, make city no longer exist

RENO, Texas — Sometimes it feels as if the smaller a city is, the larger its politics change into. That’s definitely the case in a single North Texas city, the place a few of its residents are petitioning to have their city no longer be.

The City of Reno is positioned about 20 miles northeast of Fort Worth, shut by to Azle, Sanctuary and Briar.

Eric Hunter moved to Reno in 2009 and ultimately discovered himself concerned in city politics. First, he served on city council. Then, from 2017 to 2021, he served as mayor. At the top of that run, although, he opted not to launch a reelection bid.

“I was surrounded by people that I just couldn’t trust,” Hunter mentioned.

Now, he is making an attempt going even additional than no longer working in Reno’s authorities. He’s making an attempt to disincorporate Reno as a city — which means it will no longer exist on a map, and its land, together with its inhabitants of about 3,500 residents, would fall underneath the jurisdiction of Parker County.

“I think we’d be a community that’s better off without the small-town politics,” Hunter mentioned. “A lot of things are old and outdated.”

Small-town politics aren’t the one issues that might disappear. If Reno have been to disincorporate, its residents would no longer have to pay a city tax. Also, its native police and fireplace departments would additionally go away. And all elected officers, together with the mayor and city council members, could be laid off.

“I see a lot of in-fighting,” Hunter mentioned. “I’ve heard about some friends who are no longer friends just because they disagree on the politics within the small-town politics.”

Hunter mentioned there are lots of explanation why he desires to disincorporate Reno. He mentioned sources have not been used appropriately within the city, and that he’d quite Parker County officers care for the residents — and, particularly, the roads.

“You dodge potholes if you didn’t want to cause damage to your cars,” Hunter mentioned. “You have a small, narrow city road where, if somebody is topping a hill, you have a potential for a disaster.”

If Hunter’s disincorporation bid is profitable, George Conley, who’s the county commissioner for Precinct 1, could be in command of this space of Parker County. 

Conley, for his half, mentioned he is up to the duty if want be. He mentioned his essential job is to care for the roads as is. But including Reno’s space to his plate would enhance the variety of miles of roads underneath his watch from 300 to 400.

“We’ll do whatever they decide they want to do to try to help them,” Conley mentioned. “It’s going to be a difficult task, but we can prioritize what we need to do and we’ll do what we have to do.”

If the disincorporation comes to cross, that’s. 

Based on Texas Government Code Section 62.002, if a city with fewer than 10,000 residents collects 400 signatures in favor of disincorporation, then the trouble have to be put to a vote through the subsequent basic election wherein the mayor is on the poll. For Reno, that might be May 2023.

Hunter mentioned he collected 499 signatures in assist of his bid for potential disincorporation. But, in accordance to present Reno mayor Sam White, not all of these signatures are legitimate.

“Using the voter list provided by the Parker County Elections office, I vetted the signatures and found 123 to be invalid for various reasons that were confirmed by our attorney to not meet the criteria required,” White mentioned in an announcement to WFAA. “I reviewed the petition and vetted signatures with city council in a properly posted executive session on August 30, 2022. Once the invalid signatures were confirmed by legal and agreed upon by city council, the city administrator was instructed by the city attorney the next day to send a letter rejecting the petition along with the list of invalid names with reasons to Eric Hunter.”

But Hunter mentioned that, after some clarifications and corrections, there are nonetheless sufficient signatures on his petition to transfer ahead with a vote in May. 

The disagreement over the variety of signatures on Hunter’s petition has now reworked right into a authorized dispute.

“They are just pulling things out of the air to falsely invalidate signatures for the petition,” Hunter mentioned. “It shouldn’t be brought to the council again. Chapter 62 [of the Texas Government Code] says that once a petition with 400 signatures is presented to the city, the mayor shall call a vote.”

Jennifer Vogel is among the residents who signed Hunter’s petition. She moved to Reno along with her household 20 years in the past, and he or she mentioned she has at all times been concerned in her group.

“If I see something wrong, I feel like you have to say the right thing if you have that voice,” Vogel mentioned. “I just want my kids to see that, if you do the right thing, at least you have a chance to make a change.”

Vogel mentioned she thinks disincorporation would resolve lots of points the city is at the moment dealing with.

“We’ll do away with all this small-town politics and the city tax,” Vogel mentioned. “I trust county services more than I do our current city council.”

In his assertion to WFAA, White denied the notion that Reno was in some way falling aside on the seams due to authorities considerations, as many who assist the disincorporation motion appear to consider.

“We are now at a pivotal point of potential growth that could help ensure the city’s financial security for years to come,” the mayor mentioned. “Managed growth is only obtainable with city ordinances and services to help cultivate a well-balanced city for all the citizens.”

As for the mayor who preceded White? It’s clear what he thinks ought to occur.

Said Hunter: “I want people to know that we have a government, a mayor and a council who are doing everything they can to suppress the citizen’s right to vote on this issue.”