Issue #24
August 15, 2025
Smithville Minute is on Spotify!
The Smithville Minute is back, and we are now on Spotify!
Every school morning at 7:07 a.m., the Smithville Minute provides local weather, news, and Tiger sports upates in 2-3 minutes. Plus find out where the live music and entertainment is happening for the weekend.
We’ve still got the written Smithville Minute on our X feed, but the audio version is great to put on for you and the kids on the way to school (no cursing, we promise).
Real talk: Can you just go to Spotify and get it for “free”? Of course. But remember, Smithville Texas News is reader supported. Without support, that “free” product goes away for everyone.
A subscription on our website is $7/month and with that we create the Smithville Minute, our meeting recaps on our YouTube channel, our social media content, and our written articles.
We are at 12 subscriptions in our first week (thank you!) so let’s see if we can double it this week. Our goal is 500 subscriptions.
We still have memberships available (ONE Platinum left!) and as always, you can make a one-time donation.
Thank you for supporting the free press in Smithville!
Smithville Little League
After a devastating fire gutted the old concession stand last year, Smithville Little League is rebuilding bigger and better.
Learn about the major upgrades Smithville Little League is making to the city’s baseball and softball complex thanks to a collaborative effort involving taxpayer dollars, generous donations, and countless volunteer hours.
Council Meeting Recap
It was a “parliamentary procedure and other legal matters” type of night in council chambers on Monday for the council’s regular August meeting.
From tax rates and potential utility bill tweaks to spicy budget debates and new developments, we've got your video recap here.
What is ESD #3?
When Smithville residents get their property tax bills for 2025, there will be a new taxing entity taking a part of the money: Bastrop County Emergency Services District #3.
A tax rate has not been approved as of this writing, but it could be up to $0.10 per $100 valuation. So what is ESD #3? Why was it created? What are we going to get for our tax dollars?
Learn the answers in our latest article.
First Day of School Photos
Another school year has started! Wednesday marked the first day of school for our SISD students. Here are a few photos the district posted on their FB page.
We hope everyone has a happy, healthy, and safe school year, and we look forward to telling your stories this year!
Let Your Voice Be Heard!
If there’s one thing Smithville is not short on, it’s opinions. Facebook and Nextdoor have become the arena of unsolicited opinions, providing cathartic pleasure for some, and entertainment for others.
But it doesn’t really move the needle much on getting policy to change.
Right now we have a once-a-decade opportunity to provide opinions about our city, to our city officials…and they will actually listen!
The preliminary draft of the Comprehensive Plan, which will guide the growth and development of Smithville for the next 20 years, has been released here.
It’s a massive 180-page document and if you don’t regularly attend government meetings, it may seem overwhelming. But fear not Smithville! The city STILL wants your opinion!
They are working on changing up the landing page to make it easier to leave comments. And there will be plenty of events where the city will engage with residents to share the plan and get feedback.
But you can share your vision of Smithville by commenting on the plan or by emailing your council members. Let them know what’s missing in the plan, what’s in there but shouldn’t be, what should the city spend its limited resources on, ect.
This is your once-a-decade opportunity to let your voice be heard. Don’t be left out!
On Tap For Next Week
Wednesday, Aug. 20: ESD #3 monthly meting, 9am, 112 Corporate Dr. in Bastrop (agendas are posted on their FB page)
Wednesday, Aug. 20: City Council budget workshop #3, 5pm, City Hall (agenda, powerpoint presentation)
Here is a link to the proposed budget, and changes to the proposed fee schedule. *These are all drafts and may be tweaked prior to Wed's meeting.
From the Publisher
If you’ve listened to the new Smithville Minute, you’ve probably noticed the long “gooooooooood morning” intro. Many of you have commented that it reminds you of Robin Williams in the movie Good Morning, Vietnam.
That is EXACTLY where I got that from!
When I was a kid, music was always on in our house, and during that time period, movie soundtracks were amazing. My folks purchased the soundtrack to the movie, and it contained a handful of 30-second clips of “Adrian Cronauer” from the movie.
I was way too young to watch the movie, but I wore that tape out. I remember sitting in my room and doing that character like Robin Williams over and over again. My cousins and I used to do skits for our parents (don’t judge—this is what we did before the internet, cell phones, and iPads), and I’m pretty sure we did this one a few times.
I remember sitting down before recording the Smithville Minute for the first time, not knowing what to do. How do I make this interesting? How do I hook people in?
I Googled. I asked Grok. I listened to other podcasts.
I didn’t like any of it.
I randomly saw a clip of Robin Williams on X one day, and as I lay in bed that night, my mind wandered back to those childhood days of acting like a goofball in my room, using a marker as a microphone, performing those “Adrian Cronauer” skits.
And it clicked.
I remember saying my “Good morning, Smithville!” intro out loud in my bed and realizing that was it.
I’m glad it has resonated with you guys as much as it has with me.
P.S. Read this from one of the four guys rowing across the North Atlantic from New York to the UK (yes, like in a human-powered row boat, and yes, I do agree that's insane). Great lessons to take with you.
Have a great weekend Smithville,
~K
Kristen Meriwether
Publisher, Smithville Texas News
Kristen@smithvilleTexasNews.com
Follow us on X @NewsSmithville
