RENO, Texas — Sometimes it feels as if the smaller a city is, the bigger its politics become. That's certainly the case in one North Texas town, where some of its residents are petitioning to have their city no longer be.
The City of Reno is located about 20 miles northeast of Fort Worth, close by to Azle, Sanctuary and Briar.
Eric Hunter moved to Reno in 2009 and eventually found himself involved in city politics. First, he served on city council. Then, from 2017 to 2021, he served as mayor. At the end of that run, though, he opted not to launch a reelection bid.
"I was surrounded by people that I just couldn't trust," Hunter said.
Now, he's trying going even further than no longer working in Reno's government. He's trying to disincorporate Reno as a city -- meaning it would no longer exist on a map, and its land, along with its population of about 3,500 residents, would fall under the jurisdiction of Parker County.
"I think we'd be a community that's better off without the small-town politics," Hunter said. "A lot of things are old and outdated."
Small-town politics aren't the only things that would disappear. If Reno were to disincorporate, its citizens would no longer have to pay a city tax. Also, its local police and fire departments would also go away. And all elected officials, including the mayor and city council members, would be laid off.
"I see a lot of in-fighting," Hunter said. "I've heard about some friends who are no longer friends just because they disagree on the politics within the small-town politics."
Hunter said there are many reasons why he wants to disincorporate Reno. He said resources haven't been used correctly in the city, and that he'd rather Parker County officials take care of the residents -- and, especially, the roads.
"You dodge potholes if you didn't want to cause damage to your cars," Hunter said. "You have a small, narrow city road where, if somebody is topping a hill, you have a potential for a disaster."
If Hunter's disincorporation bid is successful, George Conley, who is the county commissioner for Precinct 1, would be in charge of this area of Parker County.
Conley, for his part, said he's up to the task if need be. He said his main job is to take care of the roads as is. But adding Reno's area to his plate would increase the number of miles of roads under his watch from 300 to 400.
"We'll do whatever they decide they want to do to try to help them," Conley said. "It's going to be a difficult task, but we can prioritize what we need to do and we'll do what we have to do."
If the disincorporation comes to pass, that is.
Based on Texas Government Code Section 62.002, if a town with fewer than 10,000 residents collects 400 signatures in favor of disincorporation, then the effort must be put to a vote during the next general election in which the mayor is on the ballot. For Reno, that would be May 2023.
Hunter said he collected 499 signatures in support of his bid for potential disincorporation. But, according to current Reno mayor Sam White, not all of those signatures are valid.
"Using the voter list provided by the Parker County Elections office, I vetted the signatures and found 123 to be invalid for various reasons that were confirmed by our attorney to not meet the criteria required," White said in a statement to WFAA. "I reviewed the petition and vetted signatures with city council in a properly posted executive session on August 30, 2022. Once the invalid signatures were confirmed by legal and agreed upon by city council, the city administrator was instructed by the city attorney the next day to send a letter rejecting the petition along with the list of invalid names with reasons to Eric Hunter."
But Hunter said that, after some clarifications and corrections, there are still enough signatures on his petition to move forward with a vote in May.
The disagreement over the number of signatures on Hunter's petition has now transformed into a legal dispute.
"They are just pulling things out of the air to falsely invalidate signatures for the petition," Hunter said. "It shouldn't be brought to the council again. Chapter 62 [of the Texas Government Code] says that once a petition with 400 signatures is presented to the city, the mayor shall call a vote."
Jennifer Vogel is one of the residents who signed Hunter's petition. She moved to Reno with her family 20 years ago, and she said she has always been involved in her community.
"If I see something wrong, I feel like you have to say the right thing if you have that voice," Vogel said. "I just want my kids to see that, if you do the right thing, at least you have a chance to make a change."
Vogel said she thinks disincorporation would solve a lot of issues the city is currently facing.
"We'll do away with all this small-town politics and the city tax," Vogel said. "I trust county services more than I do our current city council."
In his statement to WFAA, White denied the notion that Reno was somehow falling apart at the seams because of government concerns, as many who support the disincorporation movement seem to believe.
"We are now at a pivotal point of potential growth that could help ensure the city’s financial security for years to come," the mayor said. "Managed growth is only obtainable with city ordinances and services to help cultivate a well-balanced city for all the citizens."
As for the mayor who preceded White? It's clear what he thinks should happen.
Said Hunter: "I want people to know that we have a government, a mayor and a council who are doing everything they can to suppress the citizen's right to vote on this issue."