Conroe firefighters sue city over bargaining vote

The Conroe Professional Fire Fighters Association sued the city in Montgomery County district court on Dec. 22 for wrongfully rejecting a voter petition that should require an election on municipal firefighters' collective bargaining rights.

The lawsuit claims the organization petitioned voters on Dec. 12 under Texas Local Government Code Chapter 174 for a collective bargaining question. According to the group, temporary City Secretary Sami Quinlan rejected the petition due to a lack of legitimate signatures.

In a Dec. 22 news release announcing the lawsuit, association President Lloyd Sandefer stated collective bargaining formalizes firefighters' participation with city leadership.

Sandefer said collective bargaining helps firemen and management resolve disagreements and set staffing, training, equipment, and workplace safety requirements.

The association claims it submitted 3,650 signatures, significantly above the legal limit. After receiving a petition from qualified voters amounting to 20,000 signatures or 5% of voters who participated in the most recent general election for state and county authorities, a city must order a collective bargaining election by state law.

According to the complaint, the city noted it could not ascertain how many Conroe voters voted in the Nov. 5, 2024, general election and consequently defaulted to the 20,000-signature threshold. The group challenges that argument, noting it got voter participation data from the Texas Secretary of State showing 40,425 Conroe voters cast ballots in that election.

The association claims that 2,022 signatures—5% of voters—would prompt an election.

Sandefer said the lawsuit ensures voters, not city leaders, determine the issue. He said the association wants the court to force the city to put the collective bargaining question on the May 2026 ballot.

The petition seeks attorney fees, court costs, and nonmonetary relief. The Montgomery County court website had not yet processed or uploaded lawsuit filings.

The association seeks a temporary restraining order, injunctions requiring the city to process the petition, a writ of mandamus requiring the city to comply with state law, and a declaratory judgment clarifying the parties' rights under state statutes and the Conroe City Charter.

The lawsuit sues Conroe and Quinlan, as the interim city secretary. The case was Conroe Professional Fire Fighters Association v. City of Conroe, Texas, and Sami Quinlan in the Montgomery County district court.

By press time, city officials had not addressed the case.