"It is our opinion that the 5-2 vote … was not an approval of the application," Mark Johnson, the attorney representing the Fairview homeowners behind the lawsuit, told the Dallas Morning News on Monday. "It was a denial."
The dispute appears to hinge on zoning laws. Fairview laws and the Texas local government code require three-fourths of a governing body to approve a proposed zoning change if 20 percent of property owners within 200 feet of the change submit a protest. That means enough residents could "trigger a supermajority" vote from council members, Mayor John Hubbard told Chron. In Fairview, a supermajority means getting votes from six of seven council members.
It’s an interesting development. I’m guessing the residents are confident that 2 of the 7 council members are 100% against the temple.
Immediately after, Fairview Town Council members said that property owners of only about 18 percent of the land within 200 feet of the LDS Church temple's 8.2-acre site protested the permit application. However, Fairview United argued that they'd sent letters on April 28 protesting the permit application for a temple with a spire taller than 70 feet. The group said that property owners of 20 percent of the land protested, and the town miscalculated the count because it included the opinions of individuals who own land that's part of the nearby city of Allen. Considering only Fairview landowners, the suit argues, means that property owners of about 21 percent of the land protested the temple project—which means the council should've rejected the permit application, the suit says, per the Dallas Morning News.
I’m not sure if the legal statutes cover this, but it seems that the Fairview City Council shouldn’t be considering the land and protests of Allen City residents. Does this mean that the Allen City Council also needs to also give its approval?
Last edited by I Have Questions on Tue Jun 10, 2025 10:53 am, edited 1 time in total.
Premise 1. Eyewitness testimony is notoriously unreliable.
Premise 2. The best evidence for the Book of Mormon is eyewitness testimony.
Conclusion. Therefore, the best evidence for the Book of Mormon is notoriously unreliable.
