ROUND ROCK, Texas — Round Rock voters returned Mayor Craig Morgan to office Saturday and rejected two proposed city charter amendments dealing with electronic billboards and fire department staffing.
Morgan was reelected in the May 2 election against Kelly Hall, who remained on the ballot after being declared ineligible by the city clerk April 9. City Council members Michelle Ly and Frank Ortega also won reelection after running unopposed for Place 1 and Place 4. The results remain unofficial until canvassed by the City Council.
The city said Hall’s name remained on the ballot because the deadline had passed to remove an ineligible candidate. If Hall had received a majority of votes, a special election would have been required to fill the office.
Hall’s eligibility issue centered on residency. Community Impact reported that a challenge submitted to the city claimed Hall’s March 3 Democratic primary application listed a Cedar Park address. The city later found Hall ineligible, saying he had sworn and attested to a Cedar Park address on one filing and a Round Rock address on his mayoral filing. Hall disputed the decision and said he had documentation supporting his Round Rock residency.
Hall’s political status remains unusual because he is also listed as the Democratic candidate for Texas House District 19. Transparency USA lists Hall as on the ballot for the Nov. 3, 2026, general election against incumbent Republican Rep. Ellen Troxclair. The same listing shows Hall advanced from the Democratic primary, while Troxclair advanced from the Republican primary.
Court filings involving Hall’s prior Texas State Guard service also surfaced during the campaign. In a Jan. 26, 2026, filing in Travis County’s 459th District Court, case D-1-GN-24-000896, defendants stated that on or about Aug. 28, 2022, then-Cpl. Kelly Hall informed SFC Jimmerson that he had “falsified orders and altered government documents” at another person’s request.
A separate Dec. 19, 2022, memorandum included in the court records states that Brig. Gen. Joe D. Cave concluded and supported the allegation that the plaintiff asked then-Cpl. Kelly Hall to alter or create fraudulent Operation Lone Star-Border Security orders. Hall was referenced in the filings but was not listed as a defendant in the civil case.
Voters also rejected Proposition A and Proposition B, both of which were placed on the ballot by petition. Proposition A would have amended the city charter to allow up to 12 privately owned, operated and funded freestanding, off-premise, double-faced electronic message centers along Interstate 35 and State Highway 45 within Round Rock and its extraterritorial jurisdiction. The city said new billboards are otherwise prohibited by ordinance.
Proposition B would have required the Round Rock Fire Department to meet National Fire Protection Association 1710 staffing and response standards, with phased requirements beginning in 2027. The amendment also would have waived the city’s sovereign immunity, allowing lawsuits to enforce compliance.
Unofficial polling numbers reported by Community Impact showed Proposition A failing with 85.15% of voters opposed and 14.85% in favor. Proposition B also failed, with 68.96% opposed and 31.04% in favor.
The election results will become official after they are canvassed by the City Council. A swearing-in ceremony is expected later this month
John J. Gately
Republican Precinct Chair – Precinct 338
Williamson County Republican Party
Round Rock, Texas