Granbury residents deliver 800-signature petition, demand no-confidence vote over Project Patriot transparency

More than 800 Granbury residents asked the City Council on July 7 to register a vote of no confidence in City Manager Chris Kaufman and City Attorney Jeremy Sorrell, citing what petition organizer Daniel Piat described as "documented contradictions regarding Project Patriot and the Knox Ranch annexation" and "a lack of transparency." The petition packet was turned over to the city secretary during the meeting.

"Signed by over 800 City Of Granbury residents requesting a vote of no confidence in our City Manager, Chris Kaufman, and our City Attorney, Jeremy Sorrell," Daniel Piat told the council during the citizen-comment period. He said the petitions "detail serious concerns that deserve your attention" and asked council members to "acknowledge the confidence in our city leadership has been severely compromised." (Daniel Piat, public comment)

Other speakers raised similar objections. Jacob Herboldt said residents are confused about the status of Project Patriot and accused city officials of sending mixed messages: "Some are signing the petitions because they don't want a hyper-scale data center in the Granbury city limits. Others don't know what to think about data centers, but they see an issue with the misleading statements that have been made here." Hamlet Peguero told the council the issue is not whether a formal application is filed but "the direction in which the city is being led," and urged local officials to start the dialogue with residents who will be affected.

Mayor Jim Jarrett Baker acknowledged the speakers and accepted the petition for the record but reminded attendees that the open-mic public-comment period is for presenting comments and not for receiving a response at the same time. The dais did not engage in a substantive exchange with petitioners during the meeting; later in the agenda the council entered a closed session under provisions of the Texas Government Code for litigation, real property deliberations and economic-development negotiations. Upon reconvening the mayor announced that "there was no action taken in closed session."

The petition asks the council to adopt a formal vote of no confidence in Kaufman and Sorrell; the council did not take any immediate formal action on that request during the meeting. The petition and related materials were filed with the city secretary; any follow-up steps would be determined by the council and are not reflected in the July 7 minutes.

Why this matters: Petitioners told the council their grievances go beyond policy disagreement and involve transparency, public-record handling and perceived efforts to limit public oversight. The comments signal sustained community concern that could prompt future hearings, records requests, or formal motions by council members to seek more information or to take personnel action.