Ashley Kontnier
BUDA — Buda City Council acknowledged the resignation of council member Matt Smith during its July 21 meeting, while also approving various ordinances and resolutions.
Special Use Permit
Following a proclamation recognizing July 2026 as Parks and Recreation Month, council moved through a full slate of agenda items, which began with the deliberation of a special use permit (SUP) application.
Sandlin Services, on behalf of Emergency Animal Hospital of Buda, submitted the application to request approval of outside yard/kennels for a proposed facility at the southwest corner of the intersection of South IH-35 and Robert S Light Boulevard.
While the veterinary facility is allowed within the current B-3 zoning of the property, an outdoor yard/kennel is prohibited without an approved SUP.
“It is an outdoor yard,” Will Parrish, assistant director of Development Services, clarified. “They don't propose to kennel dogs in the outdoor area.”
Parrish also stated that the proposed yard will be located on the side of the building facing IH-35, rather than the adjacent neighborhood, and the animals would always be supervised when in the yard.
According to agenda documents, the Planning and Zoning Commission voted 6-0 to recommend approval of the request.
Council voted unanimously to approve the SUP on first and final reading.
Pot-bellied pigs
Following the item being tabled at a June meeting, the allowance of pot-bellied pigs as household pets in the city limits was back up for discussion.
Buda Police Chief Bo Kidd presented updated information based on prior council feedback, including two options for potential ordinances.
Option 1 allowed the animals, but prohibited outdoor enclosures, instead requiring pot-bellied pigs to be kept inside and limiting outdoor access to two hours per day.
Option 2 provided options for outdoor structure regulations within the proposed ordinance.
“I just wanted to clarify that this doesn't supersede any [homeowners association (HOA)] rules,” said council member Monica Davidson. “No matter what we do here, they still need to follow what their HOA does and this is not an opportunity to try to amend those.”
Council voted 7-0 to approve Option 1 on first and final reading.
Hays Central Appraisal District
Next, council was presented with a resolution to authorize the Hays Central Appraisal District (HCAD) to purchase land and construct a new facility for its office.
As previously reported by the Hays Free Press, HCAD is seeking approval from its voting taxing entities to fund a total of $15 million over the course of 25 years for the land and building.
“There are some other entities in Hays County that I know have denied this,” explained city manager Micah Grau. “Not because they don't support the appraisal district and their efforts and they're not denying that they need expanded property, but more because there hasn't been a lot of information up to this point about the project.”
If approved, the city’s cost would increase from $80,088 in FY 2026 to an estimated $97,729 in FY 2027, Grau stated.
While the consensus of the dais was that there is a need for the new facility, the lack of information provided by HCAD was a common sentiment.
“I think one of the difficulties, without a lot of information, is that there are multiple entities around Central Texas who have set a budget for a new building and land with it and then, come in way over,” council member Evan Ture said. “One of the concerns here is we have a budget, but we don't have that much information. My concern would be it comes back with a significantly different number, which it might, but we don’t know that and I don’t think the Hays CAD necessarily knows that until maybe proceeding a little bit further.”
Ultimately, council voted 7-0 to deny the request.
Resignation
The last of the regular agenda items for the evening was the acknowledgement and acceptance of the resignation of Smith.
Serving in the At-Large Position 1, Smith was elected to fill a vacant position in November 2020 and subsequently reelected in November 2022 and November 2025. He will continue to serve in his position until a special election can be held, which is anticipated to coincide with the general election Nov. 3, 2026.
“I appreciate the citizens’ trust. It wasn’t an easy decision, obviously, to make. After what will be six full years of serving, now is the time, primarily driven by time in my own household,” he said.
In addition to the At-Large Position 1 Special Election, the mayor, At-Large Position 2 and Single Member District B seats will be on November’s general election ballot.
Buda City Council will meet next at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 4.
