By BARBARA GREEN
editor@bowienewsonline.com
Organizers of the Tier 2 petition against forced annexation have more than half of the 1,340 required signatures to get their issue on the November ballot.
The petitions are popping up all over as the group attempts to get its numbers by the March 5 deadline. The drive is spearheaded by the Montague Citizens Protecting Property Rights.
Senate Bill 6, approved during the 85th Legislative Session, went into effect on Dec. 1, 2017. The bill requires landowner or voter approval of annexations in the state’s largest counties (Tier 2 – those with 500,000 or more in population).
Smaller counties less than 500,000 are Tier 1, and can opt-in to the bill through a petition and election process which would move them into Tier 2 status. If approved where any potential involuntary annexation would have to be voted upon by the area in question. Without a change in status, the annexation process would remain unchanged.
Last November voters in Wise, Parker, Palo Pinto, Johnson, Freestone and Atascosa approved the measure moving from Tier 1 to Tier 2.

Read the full story in the weekend News.