Attempts by Citizen Group to Add Items to City Council Agenda Rebuffed
November 3, 2025 – A group of Sulphur Springs residents is calling for greater transparency after city officials refused to place a citizen-led discussion item about the proposed MSB/Thermo Matrix Reserve hyperscale data center project on the City Council’s agenda.
According to correspondence shared with KSST, the city secretary and city attorney denied the formal request, stating that “no action will be taken” — effectively blocking the matter from being heard as an official agenda item. Concerned citizens say this decision silences public discussion about one of the largest economic developments in the city’s history.
“This denial isn’t about one person — it’s about every citizen’s right to ask questions and expect transparency,” said one resident leading the effort. “When the city admits it doesn’t even know what cooling method will be used and says that’s ‘up to the end user,’ it raises real concerns about oversight.”
Residents say they’ve been relegated to the council’s Visitors and Public Forum period, where comments are heard but not answered. They argue that this limits public participation and accountability.
Questions remain about the project’s water use, environmental impact, tax abatements, and decision-making in executive sessions. The citizen group plans to pursue the issue through Texas Open Records Act requests and possible complaints to the Texas Ethics Commission.
“We simply want open discussion and transparency,” the group stated. “If the city can refuse to place inconvenient topics on the agenda, what else might it choose to hide?”
Sulphur Springs is a home-rule city, meaning it governs by a locally adopted charter rather than just general laws. The City Charter grants the city broad authority to pass ordinances and manage its affairs “as necessary, requisite or proper for the management of its local affairs.”
Because Sulphur Springs City charter doesn’t appear to mandate a citizen’s right to agenda inclusion, and because city procedure places agenda control with officials, the council’s refusal is likely legal under Texas law—so long as it adheres to Open Meetings Act and properly posts notices for items they do choose to consider.
