City preparing for new voters as annex challenge lingers
By SHANNON CRABTREE scrabtree@leader-news.com

Plans for incorporating new voters into the city of El Campo will continue next week despite a lingering challenge to annexation procedures.

The city hopes to present its voting plan to the Department of Justice in mid-January.

"We've already started (the process)," City Attorney Ronny Collins told Council during Monday's meeting. "We will be moving full steam ahead next week."

At the same time, those opposed to recent annexations are still calling for Council to revisit petitions quashed Monday.

Acting on attorney advice that deliberation would be illegal, Council set aside three petitions calling for annexation to be reversed or put to a public vote.

Now opposing attorney Jason Ryan of Houston's Baker Botts lawfirm is saying that advice was inaccurate and calling for Council to place the petitions on their upcoming Jan. 28 agenda or face a district court lawsuit.

Ryan's Jan. 18 letter to Collins and Council, says, "The interst of the citizens who the Council puposrts to represent are best served by an early resolution of this matter."

Collins said he believes the advice he gave Council Monday is valid, adding attorney's for the Texas Municipal League agreed.

He is awaiting a letter from Ryan explaining his stance and, in the meantime, preparing for the DOJ review.

That review, he said, is designed to ensure minority voting remains undiluted.

That which shouldn't be a problem, he said. During an upcoming session, Council will have to review proposed changes to city voting districts, Collins added.

The north Hwy. 71 area will likely be added to what's popularly known as the Town & Country District - Seat 4 currently held by Councilman Ed Erwin.

In May, newly annexed residents of the Sandy Corners area - an estimated 60 to 65 homes - can cast their first municipal ballots helping decide who will be the city's three at-large representative posts.

In El Campo, the top three vote-getters of all at-large candidates earn the posts. Historically, the mayor and mayor pro tem are selected from these three posts.

Currently Mayor Phillip Spenrath and Mayor Pro Tem Kenneth Martin are the at-large representatives. There is also a vacant at-large chair previously occupied by Kyle Smith.

Those wanting to vote in the city's May election have until April 10 to register.

For the May 2007 election, a district election year, the city had 8,143 eligible voters, according to the county elections administration office.

Candidate filing for the May races starts Feb. 11.