September 28th, 2026AD
Granbury’s mayor and four City Council members are scheduled for separate recall hearings tonight during a special meeting beginning at 6 p.m. Monday, September 28th, at Granbury City Hall, 116 W. Bridge Street.
The posted agenda lists hearings, in order, for Mayor Jim Jarratt, Mayor Pro Tem Bruce Wadley, Councilmember Gary “Skip” Overdier, Councilmember Zeb Ullom and Councilmember Greg Corrigan.
Tonight’s proceedings are public hearings — not recall elections. The hearings themselves will not remove anyone from office. They provide an opportunity for each official to address the allegations in the petition seeking his recall, as outlined in Section 4.08 of the Granbury City Charter.
FROM REJECTED PETITIONS TO PUBLIC HEARINGS
Recall proponents submitted the five petitions July 13th. The effort grew from objections to the City’s handling of the Knox Ranch property and proposed Project Patriot data-center development, along with concerns about transparency and public participation, according to statements published by Granbury Grassroots.
On July 28th, the City announced that none of the five petitions had been certified. Following review by the City Secretary and City Attorney, the City said the petitions failed requirements involving valid signatures or sufficiently specific allegations under the Texas Election Code and City Charter.
Recall proponents challenged those determinations. Daniel Piatt and Janet Logsdon sought a writ of mandamus — a court order compelling officials to perform a legal duty — to require the recall process to move forward. Their challenge disputed both the handling of petition signatures and the City’s authority to reject the stated grounds for recall.
The City subsequently changed course. An August 24th announcement published by recall proponents quoted a City court filing stating that, after further investigation and additional review of legal authority, City Secretary Carla Walker would present the petitions to Council under Section 4.08.
That procedural change did not resolve the underlying disagreements about Project Patriot.
In its public explanation updated September 9th, the City said it had not approved or authorized data-center construction and had not received a development application or approved a site plan for a data center. The City also maintained that annexation of the privately owned property did not itself approve a specific development project.
The concerns raised by recall proponents and the City’s responses remain competing positions. Tonight’s hearings give the five officials the opportunity to address the allegations against them in the setting established by the Charter.
WHAT THE APPELLATE COURT DECIDED
On September 21st, the Second Court of Appeals in Fort Worth denied Piatt and Logsdon’s mandamus petition and their request for attorney’s fees as moot.
The court also ordered the five targeted elected officials and Walker, each named in an official capacity, to pay the costs of the original proceeding. Those court costs are separate from the attorney’s fees the petitioners requested and were denied.
The ruling did not decide whether the City’s original objections to the signatures or recall allegations were correct. It also did not order a recall election or find that any official had committed the misconduct alleged by recall proponents. The court disposed of the requested relief on mootness grounds rather than deciding those disputed merits.
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER TONIGHT?
Section 4.08 says that if an official whose removal is sought does not resign, Council has a duty to order a recall election and set it for the earliest date permitted by state law.
As posted Monday morning, tonight’s agenda contains the five hearings followed by adjournment. It does not include a separate item ordering recall elections or identify a recall-election date.
The timing therefore remains an important question. The City’s published calendar identifies August 17th as the deadline to order a general election or special election on a measure for November 3rd. That deadline passed before tonight’s hearings. The hearing agenda does not explain what election date the City would use or identify any exception affecting the timetable.
Granbury already has a separate regular municipal election scheduled for November 3rd involving Council Places 4 and 6. That regular election should not be confused with the recall proceedings being heard tonight.
Overdier is running against Janet Logsdon for Place 4. Corrigan did not file for another Place 6 term; Alex Wolf is the only candidate the City lists for that position. Both incumbents’ current terms expire in November 2026. How those expiring terms would affect any later recall proceedings is not addressed in tonight’s agenda.
ATTENDING OR WATCHING TONIGHT
The special meeting begins at 6 p.m. tonight at Granbury City Hall, 116 W. Bridge Street. The City’s agenda provides for a live stream through its website and states that some council members will participate by videoconference while a quorum is physically present at City Hall.
Hood County Express is following the recall proceedings, the officials’ responses and the next steps under the City Charter.
