Over the past four years, a billboard advertising company, Media Choice, has attempted to place billboards, especially EMCs (Electronic Message Center), or digital billboards, in the city of Round Rock and its ETJs. In 2022-2023, company representatives unsuccessfully lobbied the Round Rock City Council to revise its sign code to allow EMCs. Later, in 2023, Keep Round Rock Safe, a political action committee (PAC), circulated a petition for a Charter amendment with the same goal. This PAC said it represented a group of local businesses, but it had only one donor, the Texas Emergency Network, LLC, which shared the same business address as Media Choice. This petition, submitted to the City in 2023 and rejected early in 2024, did not have the required number of valid signatures to be placed on the ballot.
In the fall of 2025, paid representatives of the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) Local 3082 began circulating the petition that would become Proposition B, regarding Fire Department Staffing and Performance, on the May 2026 ballot. While circulating this petition to voters, they also circulated the petition that would result in this measure, Proposition A, proposing a Charter amendment to allow EMC billboards. The proposed amendment had the same language as the 2024 Keep Round Rock Safe proposal.
This petition was presented to the City Council by Bill Clifton, Secretary of the IAFF Local 3082. It was verified as having received the required number of eligible signatures to be placed on the May 2026 ballot as Proposition A.
Shall the Home Rule Charter of the City of Round Rock, Texas, be amended to add Section 14.16 to Article 14 to allow up to twelve (12) privately owned, operated, and funded freestanding off-premise double-faced electronic message centers located on private property adjacent to Interstate Highway 35 and State Highway 45 within the city and its extraterritorial jurisdiction; require priority public safety messaging; and limit regulation of location, size, and spacing to standards adopted by the Texas Department of Transportation?
If passed, this proposal would amend the Round Rock City Charter to allow up to twelve commercial EMCs to be placed on private property along I-35 and State Highway 45. The signs would be privately owned and operated, but owners would be required to prioritize official public safety and emergency messages for display. Community and nonprofit messages would be allowed if their display did not interfere with the commercial purposes of the EMCs. The EMCs would need Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) permits and have to meet TxDOT standards. The City could charge its own permitting fees for the EMCs. Still, the amendment specifically indicates that the City Council could not impose any additional restrictions or regulations beyond those imposed by TxDOT. Additionally, because this would be an amendment to the Charter, the only way to change or repeal this provision would be through another voter-approved amendment.
The provisions allowing any signage resulting from the amendment to be used for public safety and emergency purposes could, in theory, supplement existing emergency notifications. TxDOT already maintains and operates electronic signage to provide these types of notifications. Additionally, the state of Texas already has an emergency notification system, the Integrated Public Alert & Warning System (IPAWS), which delivers such notifications directly to phones. If this proposal fails, these existing emergency notification systems would still remain in place.
Over the past four years, a billboard advertising company, Media Choice, has attempted to place billboards, especially EMCs (Electronic Message Center), or digital billboards, in the city of Round Rock and its ETJs. In 2022-2023, company representatives unsuccessfully lobbied the Round Rock City Council to revise its sign code to allow EMCs. Later, in 2023, Keep Round Rock Safe, a political action committee (PAC), circulated a petition for a Charter amendment with the same goal. This PAC said it represented a group of local businesses, but it had only one donor, the Texas Emergency Network, LLC, which shared the same business address as Media Choice. This petition, submitted to the City in 2023 and rejected early in 2024, did not have the required number of valid signatures to be placed on the ballot.
In the fall of 2025, paid representatives of the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) Local 3082 began circulating the petition that would become Proposition B, regarding Fire Department Staffing and Performance, on the May 2026 ballot. While circulating this petition to voters, they also circulated the petition that would result in this measure, Proposition A, proposing a Charter amendment to allow EMC billboards. The proposed amendment had the same language as the 2024 Keep Round Rock Safe proposal.
This petition was presented to the City Council by Bill Clifton, Secretary of the IAFF Local 3082. It was verified as having received the required number of eligible signatures to be placed on the May 2026 ballot as Proposition A.
Shall the Home Rule Charter of the City of Round Rock, Texas, be amended to add Section 14.16 to Article 14 to allow up to twelve (12) privately owned, operated, and funded freestanding off-premise double-faced electronic message centers located on private property adjacent to Interstate Highway 35 and State Highway 45 within the city and its extraterritorial jurisdiction; require priority public safety messaging; and limit regulation of location, size, and spacing to standards adopted by the Texas Department of Transportation?
If passed, this proposal would amend the Round Rock City Charter to allow up to twelve commercial EMCs to be placed on private property along I-35 and State Highway 45. The signs would be privately owned and operated, but owners would be required to prioritize official public safety and emergency messages for display. Community and nonprofit messages would be allowed if their display did not interfere with the commercial purposes of the EMCs. The EMCs would need Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) permits and have to meet TxDOT standards. The City could charge its own permitting fees for the EMCs. Still, the amendment specifically indicates that the City Council could not impose any additional restrictions or regulations beyond those imposed by TxDOT. Additionally, because this would be an amendment to the Charter, the only way to change or repeal this provision would be through another voter-approved amendment.
The provisions allowing any signage resulting from the amendment to be used for public safety and emergency purposes could, in theory, supplement existing emergency notifications. TxDOT already maintains and operates electronic signage to provide these types of notifications. Additionally, the state of Texas already has an emergency notification system, the Integrated Public Alert & Warning System (IPAWS), which delivers such notifications directly to phones. If this proposal fails, these existing emergency notification systems would still remain in place.
