Traffic petition supporters look to meet goal

The Lantana traffic enforcement petition drive is coming to a close, but organizers still need residents’ help with one final push.

“With over 1,500 signatures collected, we are well on our way to success,” said Ross Ferguson, president of Fresh Water Supply District #6.  “We do though still need another 400 signatures to meet the 50 percent requirement.”

Ferguson said that volunteers are still canvassing the community, however it’s often a challenge to find people at home, so he has organized a centralized petition signing table at the South Community Center on Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 11 and 12, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The petition drive was organized after Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott issued a ruling 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.

The ruling effectively barred the Denton County Sheriff’s Office from issuing traffic citations.

In response, Texas legislators passed a law last 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, 2011, authorizes residents in a FWSD to file a petition with their county’s commissioners court requesting traffic enforcement to resume 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.

Lantana residents who wish to sign the petition can also do so at the Lantana District Office in Bartonville Town Center, 2650 FM 407 E, Suite 125, Bartonville, TX 76226, Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“We ask that anyone who supports this initiative to enable traffic law enforcement within Lantana, but has yet to sign the petition, take 10 minutes out of this upcoming weekend and stop by to sign,” Ferguson said.

For more information, contact Ferguson at [email protected], call the district office at 940-728-5050 or visit www.lantanatx.org.