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City staff confirm firefighters’ petitions meet legal requirements for Nov. 4 ballot
Summary
City staff told council that petitions seeking to let voters adopt state collective bargaining law for firefighters and the firefighter/police civil service law met legal requirements; the measures can be placed on the Nov. 4, 2025 uniform election if council orders the election by Aug. 18.
City staff announced on May 20 that petitions submitted by the Victoria Firefighters Association met the statutory requirements to place two measures on the Nov. 4, 2025 uniform election ballot.
Wesley Gilbert (city manager’s office) described two separate petitions: one seeking adoption of a state law applicable to firefighters to establish collective bargaining if a majority of affected employees favor representation while preserving prohibitions on strikes and lockouts; and a second petition seeking adoption of the firefighter and police officer civil service law for the Victoria Fire Department under the statutory process.
Staff said they verified the required elements per the Texas Election Code and calculated the number of qualified signatures under the cited chapters of the Texas Local Government Code and determined both petitions met the requirements. The city will bring an election-ordering action to the first regular meeting in August (Aug. 5) to meet the last day to order an election for the Nov. 4 uniform election, Aug. 18. Staff said formal correspondence will be sent to the Firefighters Association this week informing them of the result.
The council did not take final action on the measures at the May 20 meeting; staff framed the announcement as verification that the petitions qualified for placement on the ballot pending the council’s action to order the election.
