Issue # 29: Homecoming Game; Tax Note Freeze; Opinion Section Live [updated]

By Kristen Meriwether, Publisher

You can find an editor's note in the post titled, "SISD responds to allegations."

Homecoming Game

It’s Friday Smithville and that means it’s GAME DAY! Today is Homecoming and your Smithville Tigers are hosting the Caldwell Hornets at Tiger Stadium at 7:30 p.m. 

Make sure you get there early because they will crown the Homecoming King and Queen at 7 p.m.

This is the last Homecoming game for our seniors, so let’s show up, get LOUD, and be proud Smithville! Tickets can be purchased here and remember, the district has a clear bag policy, so leave those purses at home. 

Last week our Tigers traveled to LaGrange and left with two players on crutches in a tough 41-7 loss. You can read our recap, which includes video highlights from us and photos from Smithville High School senior Kennedy Pietsch, here. 

We will be covering the game tonight. Please follow us on X for score updates at each quarter and a game recap on our website later tonight.

Homecoming Parade

The annual Homecoming Parade was on Wednesday and if you weren’t able to make it out, we’ve got you covered with plenty of videos from us and photos from Kennedy Pietsch.

See all the floats, watch the Senior Circle, and learn about the UPSET in the tug of war in our gallery from the event.

Tax Note Freeze

The Smithville City Council held a special meeting on Wednesday and unanimously voted to freeze spending on the 2025 tax note. 

Learn what items were exempt from the freeze and how much departments will have to cut by December to offset costs associated with retiring City Manager Robert Tamble in our recap article.  

We normally do a video for these recaps, but our publisher was under the weather and not “camera ready.” We appreciate your grace and will aim for more videos going forward. 

Your Tax Rate is Set

With Emergency Services District No. 3 passing their tax rate this week, all taxing entities have voted and approved their tax rates. Here is the final 2025 tax rate.

By comparison, your current tax rate is $1.934202.

School Board Open Meeting Policy

On Monday the SISD School Board held its monthly meeting and voted to adopt an updated Open Meeting policy to comply with new laws passed by the Texas Legislature this session. 

SB 413 requires districts under 10,000 students to provide audio recordings of meetings and include a record of how each board member voted.

We were unable to attend the meeting due to another event at the same time. We thought the recording would be online, however, we were informed the audio recording is only available by request. 

We made a request and did get the recording within an hour, however, the sound didn’t pick up everything (for instance, Board Member Josh Magden asked Superintendent Molley Perry about posting the recording online…but we can’t make out the answer).

What do you think about this Smithville? The Board is complying with the law. But is this the level of transparency you want? Or do you want more? Email us Howdy@smithvilletexasnews.com and let us know what you think.  

ASR Water Meeting

The Austin Water meeting on Monday was PACKED! It was really great to see so many of you out there. There was a lot of opposition to the proposal, but it was great to see everyone asking questions and learning about the technology. 

We learned a lot, including:

-The image above is a model the Simsboro Aquifer Water Defense Fund brought to the event. After seeing the images from some of Austin Water’s presentations, we (wrongly) assumed there was a massive body of water underground.

But it’s actually sand! Thanks to Andy Wier for showing us how that sand allows the water to be trapped in one place, making it easier to find the “Austin” water versus ours. 

-We also learned that if we get through the three years of testing, the Austin City Council will have to authorize a three-year pilot program. And then, to bring this project to full fruition, it would require an investment of over $1 billion. 

There are no more public meetings with Austin Water scheduled, but the Smithville City Council will have to vote on the MOU in the coming months. We will let you know when it hits the agenda. 

SISD Responds to Allegations

On Sunday, Smithville Independent School District officials released a statement addressing concerns over an incident in which a contracted custodial worker was accused of taking photographs of high school cheerleaders in a parking lot last week.

After receiving a call from the district after the newsletter published, and getting feedback from the cheerleaders and their parents at tonight's game, I made a few changes to both this newsletter article and the investigation article. 

-I removed "cheerleader investigation” from the headline of the newsletter article, as the investigation has closed. 

-I made an edit to the newsletter article prior to the game (see below) after learning the investigation had closed.

-I updated the newsletter headline to better reflect the story and the update.

-I removed the photo of the cheerleaders in the article and the newsletter and replaced it with a graphic of the headline.

-I updated the headline with “[updated]”.

-I wrote an update at the top of the article (with date and time) and we will follow up with PD.

You may issue a letter to the editor regarding this post. Details can be found here. 

Update Sept 25, 2025 6:30 p.m. Following the publication of this newsletter, we received word that this investigation has been completed. We are following up with the Smithville Police Department and will provide an update, as we get more information.

The story at the link below has been updated to reflect new information.

Burn Ban

The last few weeks have been hot and dry leading to fire danger. On Thursday the Bastrop County Commissioners Court voted to issue an emergency burn ban, effective immediately, through Sept. 24. 

You can read the entire order here, but in short: no open fires or fireworks. 

Let’s be safe everyone! 

Pockets Grill Birthday

Congratulations to Troy Streuer and the team at Pockets Grill for celebrating 29 years in business! Owning a small business is difficult and the restaurant industry is especially challenging.

But Troy has managed to overcome the challenges and Pockets has become a staple in Smithville for residents, visitors, and the film industry.

Cheers Troy, and here’s to 29 more years!  

What's on Tap for Next Week

Wednesday 9/24: The Smithville City Council will hold a special meeting at 2pm in council chambers. (agenda) 

Thursday 9/25: noon-1:30 pm Comprehensive Plan Community Forum Natural Resources Protection (details)

Our Tennis and Volleyball teams start district play next week, so make sure you get out and cheer on our Tigers!

Smithville Texas News Update

Thank you to all the new subscribers this week! We are at 243 total subscribers, 57 paid subscribers, and 9 Members. 

As I’m sure you noticed, this newsletter has a different look to it! We decided to switch to using Ghost (who hosts our website) as our newsletter sender. Please let us know what you think!

As with every change, this may not go perfectly. You may need to check your spam folder or it may not get delivered the first time. If you have any issues, the newsletter will always be on our website, and please email Howdy@smithvilletexasnews.com with questions or concerns. 

Jam of the Week

The Letter from the Publisher is now going to be the Smithville Texas News Opinion Section. But we noticed you guys love clicking on the song each week, so we wanted to keep the music selection for you.

This week’s Jam of the Week is Thank God for Hometowns by Carrie Underwood, and you can find it on our new Spotify playlist called STN Jam of the Week. It’s got every song and album we’ve chosen since we started in January. 

If you are a local musician, have your music on Spotify, and want us to highlight you for the Jam of the Week, please email us at Howdy@smithvilletexasnews.com.  

Smithville Texas News Opinion Section

Smithville Texas News is currently accepting op-eds and letters to the editor for the Opinion Section.

What is an op-ed?

This is short for “opposite the editorial page." It is an opinion piece written by an outside contributor, arguing a specific viewpoint on a timely issue. It's meant to provoke thought or advocate for change, supported by facts and reasoning.

These can be submitted by a subject-matter expert, a public figure, or an everyday citizen.

The idea behind op-eds is to present an external perspective that may, at times, counter or complement the publication’s views, and encourage debate on timely topics. 

Example: a local business owner arguing for or against a policy the council will vote on

Word count: 700 word max. We'll work with you on minor overages, but aim for under 700 to ensure your full voice is heard.

What is a letter to the editor?

These are short, reader-submitted responses to:

-articles published in Smithville Texas News

-a news event

-a local issue

They will express agreement, disagreement, or provide additional insights.

The idea behind these is to provide community members a way to participate in the news directly, foster engagement, and provide grassroots opinions. It is similar to issuing public comment at the council or school board meetings. 

This is a great vehicle for someone who disagrees with our coverage or how a local decision was made to submit a letter for a constructive response in our pages.

Examples: 

Responding to an article you feel lacks balance.

Responding to a decision made by local officials.

Giving a shout-out to someone in the community for doing something awesome. 

Word count: 300 max. We'll work with you on minor overages, but aim for under 300 to ensure your full voice is heard.

What are the Rules for Submission?

• Tone: Respectful discourse only. Pieces promoting hate, misinformation, or illegal activities will be rejected. Avoid unsubstantiated accusations that could defame individuals. All claims must be fact-based, and supported with verifiable sources (links to reports or stats, other articles). 
• No Anonymity: You must provide your full name. Bios are appreciated for op-eds, but not required yet. 
• Exclusivity: If published, your piece is exclusive to us for 30 days (that includes social media).
• Editing: We may edit for grammar, clarity, length, or style. You'll get a chance to approve major changes if time allows.
• How to Submit: Email to kristen@smithvilletexasnews.com with subject: "Op-ed Submission: [Title]" or "Letter Submission: [Topic]". Attach as Word/plain text, no PDFs. 
• Deadline: Wednesday by noon (Central Time) for consideration in the Friday edition. Timely topics get priority.
• Publication: Selected pieces will be labeled as "Opinion" or "Letter" and appear in our weekly digital edition/newsletter, with possible promotion on social media.

By submitting, you confirm the work is yours and grant us non-exclusive digital publication rights. Questions? Email the publisher kristen@smithvilletexasnews.com.

Thank you Smithville for the continued support. This is your hometown newspaper, so please let us know what we can do to make this even better for you!

Have a great weekend Smithville!

~K

Kristen Meriwether, Publisher

Smithville Texas News

Kristen@smithvilletexasnews.com

Smithville Texas News

PO Box 732

Smithville, TX 78957