Volunteers canvassing Lantana gathered at least 967 signatures Sunday on a petition to request traffic enforcement from county commissioners.
“We’re off to a good start,” said Ross Ferguson, Fresh Water Supply District #6 president, on Sunday evening as volunteers streamed into Mi Sueño Tex Mex Grill dropping off clipboards brimming with signatures.
“It was encouraging in that almost everyone we talked to signed the petition, the challenge was getting to enough people. A lot of people were not home today and I am optimistic that as we reach more people we’ll get the numbers we need,” said Ferguson.
The petition drive was organized after Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott issued a ruling last fall that Lantana and other Fresh Water Supply Districts do not have the authority to adopt and enforce traffic regulations on the streets inside their communities.
In response to the ruling, Texas legislators passed a law this spring to provide a solution that would allow traffic enforcement to once again be allowed inside districts.
House Bill 2541, which was signed into law by Governor Rick Perry on June 17, authorizes residents in a FWSD to file a petition with their county’s commissioners court requesting traffic enforcement in their community.
At least 50 percent of Lantana homeowners have to sign the petition in order for it to be presented to county commissioners for consideration. More details on HB 2541 can be found here.
Ferguson said that they will need about 700 more signatures before the paperwork can be turned into the county for consideration.
Lantana homeowners who wish to sign the petition can do so at the Lantana District Office in Bartonville Town Center, 2650 FM 407 E Suite 125, Bartonville, TX 76226, Monday through Friday between 8a-5p.
Contact Ross Ferguson at [email protected] or call 940-728-5050 if you would like to help with the petition drive.
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