Smithville’s city council made changes to a long-standing ordinance on Monday night and passed resolutions to secure hundreds of thousands of dollars in grant funding. The evening started with a special guest.
State Representative Tim Kleinschmidt made an appearance before the council to present his house resolution honoring Clifton C. Carter and his wife, Mary Jane Carter, and the generosity and support they provided in founding Smithville’s public library. In attendance was Carter’s granddaughter, Hillary Butler from Austin and library director Judith Bergeron. AT&T also feted Kleinschmidt with a reception at city hall.
During Monday’s session, the council debated a modification to a long-standing ordinance banning billboards within the city limits. The ordinance, thought to have been in place for at least 20 years, simply stated that billboards were not to be erected within the corporate limits of the city of Smithville.
The request to change the ordinance was prompted by business owner Tom Hudson, who will break ground in the next few days for a Subway sandwich shop franchise on Dorothy Nichols Lane adjacent to Hwy. 71. Hudson wants to promote his business with a billboard along the highway and rent additional space on the sign to other businesses.
Because of the ban within the city limits, Hudson was unable to bring his application before the Texas Department of Transportation, a necessary step in getting approval to erect the infrastructure for the large signs.
Several councilmen questioned the ordinance change, wondering how the billboards might impact other businesses in the area.
Councilmen Lenel Tamez and Robert Tamble joined Mayor Mark Bunte in voting for the change, which now reads, “No billboard…shall be erected within the corporate limits of the city of Smithville without the prior approval of the city council.”
Although Hudson’s signs were not approved at the meeting, per se, the change to the ordinance allows him to start the process with TxDOT and then to the city council.

Grants update
City grants administrator Jill Strube gave the council an update on the Safe Routes to School program grant underway with TxDOT. As part of the grant’s process, the council passed a resolution authorizing the submission of the grant application and authorizing the mayor to act as the city’s authorized representative in the program.
The Safe Routes to School program is one of the largest grants Strube has been working on this year. The program improves the safety of school children and encourages them to walk and bicycle to school. The grant has the potential to bring in $250,000 in funding to improve sidewalks, bicycle routes, pathways, railroad crossings and other infrastructure throughout the city.
“Jill has been relentless on getting data and bringing together the research for this grant,” Tamble said. “This is a very nice package.”
With help from parents and interested stakeholders, Strube has compiled research, held public meetings and worked with the Smithville Police Department to identify problem areas where children are at risk when walking or biking to and from school. This information has been instrumental in getting approval to apply for the grant.
A public meeting about Safe Routes to School will be held at the Smithville Recreation Center on Monday, Nov. 16 at 6 p.m.
The council passed a resolution requesting grant funding for the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants (EECBG) program. To obtain the estimated $20,000 in funding the council needed to pass a resolution requesting the funds. The monies are to be allocated to energy efficiency.
“It’s not hard to spend money on energy efficiency,” city manager Tex Middlebrook said, recommending that the lighting systems in city hall, which were installed in 1969, be replaced.

In other business,
• The council amended city ordinances allowing an “off-leash dog recreation area,” approving a list of animal regulations and care issues, thus promoting the efforts to build an off-leash canine recreation park, known as “The Bark Park.” The ordinances provide for animal control, behavior, owner rules and guidelines and park hours.
• The council approved an agreement for engineering services with BEFCO Engineering, a longtime contractor with the city. The group will provide construction services for wastewater improvements, with funding provided by the 2009-10 Texas Department of Rural Affairs grant.
• The council approved the tax sale of property along Gazley Street, following similar approvals by the Bastrop County Education District and the Smithville Independent School District, allowing the property to be sold and placed back on the tax rolls. The current resident of the property, Molly Philbin, is running a business on the property and plans on purchasing the property and making improvements.
• The council voted Becky Bunte for election to the board of directors of the Bastrop Central Appraisal District. The city has 45 votes allocated, out of 5,000 total votes in the appraisal district.
• The council proclaimed November as National American Indian Heritage month.