What’s happening?
In a Dec. 22 news release announcing the lawsuit, Lloyd Sandefer, Conroe Professional Fire Fighters Association president, described collective bargaining as a process that “fosters collaboration between firefighters and management,” providing a structured way to resolve disputes and maintain labor peace, while also helping set staffing levels and standards for training, equipment and workplace safety.
In its petition document sent to Community Impact, the association stated it submitted a Chapter 174 election petition containing about 3,650 signatures to interim Conroe City Secretary Sami Quinlan on Dec. 12, but alleges Quinlan declined to process it, citing an insufficient number of signatures.
Filings related to the lawsuit were not yet processed as of press time and therefore were not yet available on the county court’s website.
State law cited in the lawsuit states the city must order an election once it receives a petition signed by qualified voters equal to the lesser of 20,000 signatures or 5% of the number of qualified voters who voted in the preceding general election for state and county officers.
In its filing, the association alleged the city said it could not determine how many Conroe voters participated in the Nov. 5, 2024, general election and would therefore “default” to requiring 20,000 signatures.
That reasoning is disputed in the lawsuit, which states the association obtained voter data from the Texas Secretary of State showing 40,425 Conroe voters participated in that election, meaning, it argued, 2,022 signatures would be required to process the petition.
Sandefer, Conroe Professional Fire Fighters Association president, said the group is asking the court to “let the voters decide the issue,” by requiring the city to place collective bargaining on the May 2026 ballot.
Diving in deeper
The filing requests nonmonetary relief and seeks attorney fees and costs, according to the petition.
The association, according to the filings shared with Community Impact, asked the court for several forms of relief, including:
- A temporary restraining order and temporary and permanent injunctions requiring the city to process the petition
- A writ of mandamus directing the city to process the petition under state law
- A declaratory judgment concerning the parties’ rights under the statutes and the Conroe City Charter
The lawsuit names the city of Conroe and Sami Quinlan, in her official capacity as interim city secretary, as defendants. The association’s news release identified the case as Conroe Professional Fire Fighters Association v. city of Conroe, Texas, and Sami Quinlan and listed Filing No. 109360217 in the district court of Montgomery County.
Community Impact has reached out to the city of Conroe for comment, but did not hear back before press time.
View the association’s petition below.
