Like in dozens of Texas cities, Conroe firefighters seek collective bargaining
to strengthen public safety workplace – with no new taxes

– A Montgomery County state district court ordered the City of Conroe to end its
refusal to accept and process the voter petition intended to put firefighter collective bargaining on the May 2026 ballot. In granting a temporary restraining order against the city on Friday, the Hon. John M. Delaney set a temporary injunction hearing for Jan. 22 in Conroe, ahead of the mid-February deadline to make the ballot. Without the TRO, the city’s continuing inaction on the submitted petition would have caused “irreparable injury.”
to efforts to meet the deadline for this year’s municipal election ballot, according to the court order. Last month, firefighters were forced to sue the city after the city attorney demanded a submission of 20,000 voter signatures – not the five percent of qualified voters voting in the preceding general election required by Texas Local Government Code Chapter 174 – in other words, 2,022 signatures. Firefighters twice tried to submit about
3,650 verified voter signatures to the city – and provided three separate legal opinions in support of the petition submission.
“We’re grateful the Court is moving quickly on this,” Lloyd Sandefer, president of the Conroe Professional Fire Fighters Association, said, “but it’s disappointing that the mayor and city council are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on lawyers to fight us and the thousands of voters that signed the petition. All we’re asking is that the city follow the law and let the voters decide the issue.”
Sandefer said, “Dozens of Texas cities, large and small, have relied upon collective bargaining for decades. It’s part of Texas state law – supported by Republicans, Democrats and Independents. It’s a fair process for both the city and our firefighters – and it will not raise taxes. But Conroe politicians keep digging in and wasting taxpayer money
while they continue to lavish perks on themselves.” The collective bargaining process helps put in place adequate staffing levels, which directly impacts public safety and reduces the risk of injury or death during emergency responses, Sandefer said. Collective bargaining agreements also help establish clear, consistent standards for training, equipment, and workplace safety, ensuring that fire departments meet professional benchmarks. In the last election cycle, the Texas cities of Irving, Wichita Falls, Victoria and Hurst approved collective bargaining.
“This process creates a structured way to resolve disputes and maintain workplace peace,” Sandefer said. “The city’s reaction to the voter petition just proves that we need a better way forward.”
The case is Conroe Professional Fire Fighters Association v. City of Conroe, Texas, and Sami Quinlan, in her official capacity as Conroe City Secretary, Case No. 25-12-20747 in the 284th State District Court of Montgomery County.