TEXAS CITY – A split vote by city leaders has changed who represents police officers in Texas City after more than five decades.

The city commission voted 4–3 on Wednesday to recognize the newly formed Texas City Police Association as the organization that will represent officers in upcoming civil service contract negotiations, replacing the Texas City Municipal Police Association, which had represented officers in the Texas City Police Department since 1972.

According to reporting by I45NOW, the change followed a petition from Officer Joseph Waggoner, one of the founders of the month-old association, who said he gathered 50 officer signatures seeking new representation.

Waggoner told the commission some officers believed the longtime association was no longer representing the entire department and accused its leadership of focusing on disciplinary matters rather than salary, benefits, and retirement during 2024 contract negotiations.

The vote drew a large crowd to the Doyle Convention Center, where nearly 100 people attended, including about 10 uniformed but off-duty officers.

Rachael Spahr disputed the claims and called for a secret ballot so all officers could decide which association should represent them.

The deciding vote came from Commissioner Jamie Clark, who said opportunities to resolve issues with the longtime association had run their course.

“It’s unfortunate our admin has further divided our department by choosing to support an administrative strong association.” TCMPA President Spahr told KGTX 7.