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SMITHVILLE — An exchange of seats took place on the Smithville City Council dais last week, with two newly elected members stepping up as the annual budget process begins ahead of schedule.
Council members Mitchell Jameson and Cathy Meek lost their reelection bids for places 4 and 5, respectively, to newcomers Daña Tovar and Wini Griffin in the May 2 election. Mayor Sharon Foerster ran unopposed, and after a short vote, Place 3 councilman Jimmy Jenkins remains mayor pro tem.
During their meeting May 11, an emotional Meek addressed the chamber before leaving the council.
“It’s been an incredible journey and I’ve loved it,” Meek said, adding she will be moving on as part of the Smithville Area Chamber of Commerce. “I’ll have a different hat on … but I’ll still be pushing economic development, pushing projects and getting things going in the right direction.”
After Foerster presented certificates of appreciation to Meek and Jameson, she and the new council members were sworn into office.
City Manager Jeremy Frazier noted that while the city’s budget will not officially be adopted until September, he has already begun meeting with the 22 different city departments regarding their finances.
“We started the process a little earlier this year because I am new to the city and I wanted to get a head start,” Frazier said.
The city will go through a series of regular workshops over the next few months, according to Frazier, including one June 17. During the second and third meetings, the council will have received more information and insight into what funds the city actually has available.
“Once we start receiving more information, we start to whittle that list down to what is realistic and what is actually affordable,” Frazier said.
Council members also approved an additional meeting on the fourth Monday of the month if needed. Jenkins proposed the monthly addition, citing the recent activity of several special- called meetings.
“People never know when we’re going to have those meetings and it gets confusing for everyone,” Jenkins said.
The official budget is set to go into effect Oct. 1.
All council meetings can be attended in person at City Hall, 317 Main St., or streamed online at ci.smithville. tx.us/189/City-Council.
