Issue # 38: ASR Withdrawn; Airport Expansion; SISD Audit

By Kristen Meriwether, Publisher

ASR Withdrawn

After months of negative public feedback and pushback from local elected officials, Austin Water withdrew its pursuit of an Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) project in Bastrop County on Wednesday.

The project, which aimed to store Austin drinking water underground in Bastrop County, was not popular among residents in Smithville, and the Smithville City Council voted to table signing the MOU with Austin Water at their Oct. meeting.

Read the withdrawal letter from Austin Water and see what elected officials in Bastrop County had to say about the project being pulled in our news story from Thursday.

SISD Clean Audit

The Smithville Independent School District received an unmodified opinion, also known as a clean opinion, for their fiscal year 2025 audit. 

Learn about the lone written comment (don’t worry, it wasn’t really bad), see changes the district made to ensure it doesn’t happen again, and read the glowing comments from the auditor, in our news article from earlier this week.

Welding Program Expansion

Smithville ISD school board approved three new welding classes for the Career and Technical Education pathway at its meeting on Monday. The additions expand the welding pathway to a third year. 

Read what classes the district added and learn about a donation a local contractor made to get the program much-needed supplies for their shop in our story from earlier this week. 

What to do in Smithville This Weekend?

Can you believe Thanksgiving is right around the corner? With the holiday so close, there aren’t quite as many free events on the calendar this weekend.

But you won’t want to miss the closing performances and celebration of the Potluck Projects by our artist in residence, Lynn Hoare. They’re putting on two FREE shows, complete with food served afterward, so grab a friend and come on out!

See what else is going on in town in this week’s Smithville Weekend Guide ​​👇

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Wanted: Economic Development Director

The City of Smithville put out a job description for an Economic Development Director on Monday. The position will, “Plan, direct, manage, and implement economic development functions from concept to completion.”

This position was created during the budget process over the summer, however the council voted to fund the position for six months. This appears to be for a full time position.

Airport Expansion RFP

The City of Smithville put out an RFP for the following construction at the Smithville Municipal Airport, “for future projects listed below that could be funded locally or through TxDOT grant programs in the next five (5) years”:

• Design completion of parallel taxiway
• Construct a parallel taxiway
• Design 1000’ extension Runway 17-35
• Construct extension of Runway 17-35
• Design and construct A.W.O.S.
• Rehabilitate and expand the Apron
• Construct Hangars
• Install and upgrade utility infrastructure
• Crack-seal and rehabilitate Runway 17-35
• Improve airfield drainage 

The budget for the airport has exploded in recent years, going from $72,900 in FY24 to $307,910 this fiscal year. A chart presented during the budget showed airport expenditures are 4% of the budget. 

The sharp increase was largely due to the city shifting airport fuel operations from a third-party contractor to in-house management in March 2024. Under the new arrangement, taxpayers now directly cover the cost of equipment and fuel, which is budgeted at $231,000 this year. 

This change was implemented without any public input or approval by elected officials. A note written in the March 8, 2024 City Manager report after the purchase was made was the only public notice provided. 

This RFP aims to hire an engineering firm to design and construct what would be a major expansion and upgrade to the airport. 

The RFP closes Dec. 3. The consultant firm selection committee will present qualified engineers to the Smithville City Council who will review the bids and select a winner.

Trash Town Hall

The City of Smithville held its first Town Hall to find out what residents want with their trash service. The turnout was a little light, but those in attendance almost unanimously stated they would like one day of trash pickup and one day of recycling pickup instead of two days of trash pickup. 

What do you think Smithville? What type of trash service do you want? Do you want recycling included? How many days per week?

We’ve got one more Trash Town Hall on Dec. 4 at the Rec Center from 6-8 p.m. 

But you don’t have to wait that long to let your voice be heard! You can fill out this short survey TODAY 👇 Remember: we are getting a new garbage contract regardless, so speak now, or forever hold your nasty comments on social media. 

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Giving Tuesday, Dec. 2

Giving Tuesday is on Dec. 2. If you’ve ever appreciated having real local news without rumor and spin, please consider a donation to Smithville Texas News. 

Your support funds keeping an eye on your tax dollars, staying up to date on proposed developments, stories about local residents and businesses, and covering your Tiger and Lady Tiger games. 

Thank you for the support!

All-State Academic Honors

Huge CONGRATULATIONS to our THSCA Academic All-State honorees for volleyball and cross country!

Senior Addie Prior received First team academic all-state for volleyball.

Senior Addison Otto received honorable mention academic all-state for volleyball.

And senior Julieta Huerta received 2nd team academic all-state for cross country

Great job ladies, way to make Smithville proud! 

Sponsor the Lady Tiger Games

Our Lady Tigers are gearing up to defend their district crown and make another deep run in the playoffs, and grandparents, parents, former players, and local residents are eager to read about their journey. 

Do you want to be THE business that every Lady Tiger fan sees this season?

When you sponsor Lady Tigers coverage with Smithville Texas News, you become the exclusive partner hundreds of fans see every single game:

In short: every time someone in Smithville brags about the Lady Tigers this winter, they’ll see your name.

Or lock in the whole season now for $1,500 and own Lady Tigers basketball coverage for the whole season.

Want one before your competitor grabs it? Email advertisement@smithvilletexasnews.com to lock in your sponsorship!

Thank you for keeping local sports coverage alive, and for making sure our hard-working student athletes get the coverage they deserve!

~K

Kristen Meriwether
Publisher
Smithville Texas News

Tiger Sports

It’s Friday Smithville and that means it’s GAME DAY! Your Lady Tigers basketball team takes on Luling tonight at 5 p.m. in the Tiger gym. 

Our Lady Tigers got the W on Tuesday against El Campo, 43-36. Sydnie Brenner led the team with 18 points and Averie Zimmerhanzel had 11. 

The win brings our Lady Tigers to 2-1 on the season with district play scheduled to start in January. 

We sat down with Lady Tigers head coach Jaimie Kadlecek to discuss this year’s team and her outlook on the season in our latest article. 

Please note, that article is short some photos due to our publisher choosing to be lazy and not waking up for 6 a.m. practice. She has promised to get photos at tonight’s game and will update this article later tonight. 

And our Tigers are traveling to Taylor tonight to take on the Ducks at 6:30 p.m. 

Good luck to our Tiger and Lady Tigers!

What's On Tap For Next Week?

There will be a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Tractor Supply on Monday or Tuesday. The time is still in flux due to potential rain. Check our X feed on Sunday for updated times. 

Thursday, Nov. 27: Thanksgiving (if you need to get away from your family for a minute, Mutt’s Last Stand will be open from 2-8pm)

Saturday, Nov. 29: Mutt’s Last Stand Comedy Show

Tiger Sports:

Monday, Nov. 24: Lady Tigers host Yoakum at 12:30 p.m. in the Tiger Gym

Tuesday, Nov. 25: Tigers host Bastrop at 11:15 a.m. in the Tiger Gym

Please stay safe as you travel to be with family and friends this week!

Jam of the Week

If you are a musician in Smithville and would like to be featured in the Jam of the Week, please email howdy@smithvilletexasnew.com. 

This week’s Jam of the Week is Mozamba by Levi.Sct. I saw this kid playing on an IG reel and I couldn’t believe how fast he played! The fact that it was a classical music mashup was a bonus. Check out the entire album!

And you can find this song on our Spotify playlist called STN Jam of the Week. It’s got every song and album we’ve chosen since we started in January. 

And don’t forget to listen to the Smithville Minute on Spotify every morning for a 1-2 minute news/weather/sports update. It’s 100% local Smithville local news, written by a local, every weekday morning.

Smithville Texas News Opinion Section

We did not receive any op-eds or letters to the editor to put in our opinion section. 

We will continue to hold this space for civil, public discourse in our community, and we invite residents to use this opportunity.

If you would like to submit something for the Opinion Section you can find instructions here.

Next week is Thanksgiving, so it will be a short week. I’ll do the Smithville Minute for Mon and Tuesday, have two features and any little news bites that pop up. I’ll send the Weekend Guide and the newsletter as one item on Wednesday. 

Thank you for your continued support and have a great weekend!

~K

Kristen Meriwether, Publisher

Smithville Texas News

Kristen@smithvilletexasnews.com

Smithville Texas News

PO Box 732

Smithville, TX 78957