Live election results: Rural Hood County residents reject bid to form a city

Voters rejected a proposition to form a city in rural Hood County, according to unofficial results Tuesday. With 100% of the precincts reporting, 76 voters were against the proposal and 50 supported it.

Some residents wanted to form the city in Mitchell Bend as a last resort to regulate noise and pollution from a cryptomining plant and nearby power plants.

The complaints over a constant whirring noise from cooling plants at MARA Holdings’ data center near Granbury began almost three years ago when neighbors, including Cheryl Shadden and Danny Lakey, described how the noise permeated through the walls of their homes and contributed to health issues that included sleep disturbances, dizziness and high blood pressure.

“I’m not sure what we are going to do. We will regroup,” Shadden said. “We are not done fighting.”

Lakey said, “This isn’t good. We will have to see where to go from here.”

The county commissioners lacked the authority to regulate the noise because it was in an unincorporated area, so residents took the matter in to their own hands.

MARA, for its part, said previously that the company is “a good neighbor” and that it has created jobs and contributed to schools and to the community.

However, days before Tuesday’s election MARA filed a federal lawsuit against several Hood County officials, including Elections Administrator Stephanie Cooper, County Attorney Matt Mills and County Judge Ron Massingill, alleging that the officials approved an illegal petition and allowed the incorporation question on the the ballot. The suit also alleged that there was not an official map showing the boundaries for the Mitchell Bend incorporation area. The company also alleged that its Constitutional rights and rights for due process were violated.

Shortly after filing the lawsuit, MARA sought a temporary restraining order to try to stop the election from moving forward, but on Sunday evening, U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor denied the motion.

O’Connor stated in his ruling that MARA failed to prove that holding the election would cause irreparable harm and that the company still could challenge the election in court after it is held.

“Stopping the vote on incorporation at this late hour causes confusion and delay to the voters,” he wrote. He said the MARA Holdings would have an opportunity “to challenge alleged misconduct — if needed— after the election takes place.”

In a statement, MARA said it had launched a website to “set the record straight.”

“As we have previously said, the current incorporation effort seeks only to target specific businesses — including MARA — with punitive taxes and restrictive ordinances, which is contrary to the principles of fair and lawful governance. We intend to vigorously defend against any attempt to weaponize local government against law-abiding businesses,” the company said.

MARA said it has invested $322 million in Granbury and has contributed to schools and nonprofits. Since acquiring the Granbury site in 2024, the company said, it has moved toward a quieter and more energy efficient cooling method and has built a sound wall around the center. It said independent sound studies show it operates below state and county limits.

This story was originally published November 4, 2025 at 7:28 PM.