The San Marcos City Council is the elected governing body for the City of San Marcos, Texas. It is made up of a Mayor and six Council Members who set the city’s property tax rate, pass local ordinances, approve the annual budget, and oversee municipal water, electric, and wastewater utilities.1City of San Marcos, TX. City Council The council operates under a charter adopted by San Marcos voters, and most of what it does happens in public meetings you can attend or watch.
Who Sits on the Council
Seven people serve: the Mayor and six Council Members in numbered seats, Place 1 through Place 6. All seven are elected at-large, so every registered voter in the city votes on every seat rather than picking a representative from a geographic district. Council Members serve staggered three-year terms. The Mayor serves a two-year term.1City of San Marcos, TX. City Council
Voters added term limits to the charter in 2021. Council Members can serve three consecutive terms, up to nine years, and the Mayor can serve four consecutive terms, up to eight years. After hitting the limit, a former member has to wait two years before running for that same position again. Because the terms are staggered, only part of the council turns over in any given election.
What the Council Decides
The core job is legislative. The council adopts ordinances and resolutions covering zoning, land use, public health, fire safety, and general conduct within city limits. Penalties for violating a city ordinance are set by state law and depend on the subject: general violations carry fines up to $500, while fire safety, zoning, and public health violations can reach $2,000, and illegal dumping can go as high as $4,000.2State of Texas. Texas Local Government Code 54.001 – General Enforcement Authority of Municipalities; Penalty
The council also sets the property tax rate, utility rates for water, electric, and wastewater service, and adopts the annual budget that funds police, fire, parks, and streets.1City of San Marcos, TX. City Council And it appoints the people who actually run the city day to day: the City Manager (chief executive, who carries out council policy), the City Attorney, and the City Clerk.
When and Where the Council Meets
Regular meetings are held the first and third Tuesday of each month at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 630 East Hopkins Street.3City of San Marcos. City Council Meeting If you cannot be there in person, meetings are streamed and archived on the city’s Granicus video page.4City of San Marcos, TX. City Council Videos / Archives
Speaking During Citizen Comment
To address the Mayor and council during citizen comment, you need to sign up before the meeting starts using the city’s online form.5City of San Marcos, TX. Citizen Comment Signup Form Each speaker gets three minutes.6City of San Marcos. Citizen Comments at Council Meetings When you reach the podium, state your name and where you live, then make your point.
Executive Sessions
Not every discussion happens in open session. Texas law lets the council go into closed executive session for specific purposes: consulting with the City Attorney about pending or potential litigation, deliberating a real estate purchase when open discussion would hurt the city’s negotiating position, discussing personnel matters like hiring or evaluating an employee, reviewing security measures, and discussing economic development negotiations with a business prospect.7State of Texas. Texas Government Code Chapter 551 – Open Meetings No final action or vote can happen in a closed session. The council has to come back into open session for any binding decision.
Where Public Input Actually Lands
The Annual Budget
San Marcos runs on a fiscal year from October 1 through September 30. The budget cycle unfolds over several months, with a workshop in late June and a work session in August where staff present the proposed budget and the council sets the maximum allowable tax rate. Two September meetings follow: a public hearing with the first reading of the budget and tax rate ordinance, then a second meeting for final adoption. Both are at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers at 630 East Hopkins Street.8City of San Marcos, TX. Budget Those September hearings are the moment to speak up about spending priorities before the numbers are set.
Zoning and Land Development Code Changes
Changes to zoning or the Land Development Code move through multiple public steps. The council first authorizes the process. A public open house follows, then the Planning and Zoning Commission holds its own public hearing and sends a recommendation to the council. The council then conducts a separate public hearing, a first reading of the ordinance, and a second reading before anything becomes final. You can speak at either the commission or the council hearing, and you can also submit written comments by email to the planning department or in person at the Planning and Development Services office at 630 East Hopkins Street.9City of San Marcos, TX. Code Updates
Ethics Rules for Members
The city charter bars council members and city employees from holding a financial interest in any sale of land, materials, supplies, or services to the city outside their official role. Someone with that kind of conflict is ineligible to serve, and a sitting member who acquires one forfeits the office. Contracts signed in violation of the rule can be voided by the City Manager or the council.10City of San Marcos, TX. Ethics and Anti-Lobbying
Running for a Council Seat
Who Can Run
Under the city charter, you have to be a qualified voter and have kept your principal physical residence inside San Marcos city limits for at least one year before the election. You also have to keep that residence throughout your term if you win. State law sets the age floor: you must be at least 18 on the first day of the term you are seeking.11City of San Marcos, TX. Running for Office
Filing for the Ballot
You file an Application for a Place on the Ballot at the City Clerk’s Office in City Hall, 630 East Hopkins Street, during the filing window.12City of San Marcos. City of San Marcos Elections For a uniform election date, the filing deadline is the 78th day before Election Day, and applications cannot be submitted more than 30 days before that deadline. The application has to be notarized and comes with either a filing fee or a petition in lieu of a fee. It asks for your permanent address, how long you have lived in the city, and disclosure of any felony convictions; a conviction does not automatically disqualify you, but you have to show you were pardoned or otherwise released from the resulting disabilities. Giving false information about felony status is itself a criminal offense.13Texas Secretary of State. Application for a Place on the Ballot for a General Election for a City, School District or Other Political Subdivision
Financial Disclosure and Campaign Reports
Candidates submit an Annual Financial Disclosure form when they file for the ballot and file Campaign Finance Reports on the state’s C/OH form during the campaign. If you plan to accept contributions, you have to open a bank account separate from your personal accounts for campaign funds. Reporting continues after the election until you file a final report showing no remaining campaign activity.14City of San Marcos, TX. Candidate Forms