City attorney outlines Home Rule Charter timeline as residents question petition rules

The Willow Park City Attorney told the council on March 24 that the Home Rule Charter proposal is in a procedural window and that the council has time to place it on the November uniform-election date.

City Attorney Andy Messer said the charter commission submitted its proposal to council on Feb. 10, 2026, and the council discharged the commission. Messer said the council could call the election for the Nov. 3, 2026 uniform election date and has until Aug. 17, 2026 to do so; he said he expects to deliver legal opinions on outstanding questions in two to four weeks.

Residents and other speakers pressed the council on how the charter’s petition provisions would operate in practice. Carol Wagner noted that the referendum petition that stopped the Squaw Creek Road Project required about 225 signatures, roughly 5% of registered voters, and said that the Home Rule Charter’s formula (the lesser of 1, 30% of recent voters, or 10% of registered voters, as drafted) could result in similarly low thresholds. Wagner said those rules allow a small number of signatures to halt a major project and raised costs and governance concerns.

Bill Green urged the council to verify whether the council had exceeded its statutory authority in changing citizen-submitted charter language, citing Chapter 9 procedures; he said it is illegal to alter the citizen proposal before the public has voted. Messer said he was familiar with the statutory provisions and would issue opinions to clarify the timeline and legal constraints.

Next steps: City Attorney Messer said he will provide written legal opinions in the coming weeks; the council may act before the Aug. 17 deadline to place the charter on the November ballot or delay further action depending on legal guidance and council consensus.