After receiving a petition aimed at stopping a part of the funding for the voter-approved Magnolia city park last week, officials said this week that they are “optimistic” about the future.

Councilman Dave Sutherland submitted a petition with 59 signatures of registered voters to the city offices requesting the city put its proposed certificates of obligation plan to the voters.

4A Economic Development Corp. President Jonny Williams said the city was planning on issuing $2.3 million in certificates of obligation to help the 4A Community Development Corp. pay its share of the new 27-acre park, a move that would not have required a vote.

After receiving the petition, city officials put the certificates of obligation plan on hold.

“The problem we run into is that this will cause us about a year’s delay,” Williams said. “But, we are still moving forward. We are not slowing down on the design and still have a few engineering things that need to be finished.”

He conceded that the petition may stop the actual construction in the park for now, but it won’t stop the two events scheduled for this summer.

“I want to assure the citizens that we are still going to have the Fourth of July celebration and the park dedication this summer,” he said. “We own the land. The petition can't change that.”

Williams also said the petition hasn’t put the project in jeopardy.

“The park will still get built. The voters approved it,” he said. “The issue now is how we are going to pay for it. We are looking into other options.”

He also added that he isn't sure if the “few citizens” who signed the petition really knew what they were signing.

“I don’t think they really understood what they were doing,” he said. “It's unfortunate that this had to happen.”

Sutherland’s petition was filed too late to be put on the May ballot. City officials said a special election can not be held on the issue.

The next time this issue can be voted on is in November.

“We will get it done. Everyone is looking forward to this,” Williams said. “We might have gotten a little sidetracked, but we are still moving forward.”

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