(a) Not later than the 30th day after the date the governing body of a municipality receives from an employee association a petition signed by the majority of all covered employees that requests recognition of the association as the sole and exclusive bargaining agent for all the covered employees, the governing body shall:
(1) grant recognition of the association as requested in the petition and find that a public employer may meet and confer under this chapter without conducting an election by the voters in the municipality under Section 146.006;
(2) defer granting recognition of the association and order an election by the voters in the municipality under Section 146.006 regarding whether a public employer may meet and confer under this chapter; or
(3) order a certification election under Section 146.005 to determine whether the association represents a majority of the covered employees.
(b) If the governing body of a municipality orders a certification election under Subsection (a)(3) and the association named in the petition is certified to represent a majority of the covered employees, the governing body shall, not later than the 30th day after the date that results of that election are certified:
(1) grant recognition of the association as requested in the petition for recognition and find that a public employer may meet and confer under this chapter without conducting an election by the voters in the municipality under Section 146.006; or
(2) defer granting recognition of the association and order an election by the voters in the municipality under Section 146.006 regarding whether a public employer may meet and confer under this chapter.