Representative Stan Gerdes

09/04/2026

After a deep dive into department increases, we’ve discovered personnel has increased even more ….

🚨 85% MORE IN PERSONNEL COSTS.
❌ 0% POPULATION GROWTH.

Smithville taxpayers need to see these numbers.

Since 2017:

➡️ Population growth: essentially 0%
➡️ Inflation: 31.3%
➡️ City personnel costs: 85%

Personnel costs have exploded from approximately $3.3 MILLION to $6.1 MILLION — nearly $3 MILLION MORE — while the number of people paying the bills has barely changed.

That is not sustainable growth. That is government growing faster than the community it serves.

And who gets squeezed?

Taxpayers AND good City employees.

When City Hall keeps adding positions, salaries, benefits, and bureaucracy, there is less money available to give meaningful raises to the hardworking employees already doing the job.

Smithville doesn't need to keep expanding the payroll. We need to take care of the employees we have and demand more accountability for every taxpayer dollar we spend.

And right now, we have an important opportunity to change course.

A new City Manager is coming in. Give him the opportunity to examine staffing, scrutinize every department, eliminate unnecessary expenses, find efficiencies, and bring the cost of City government back in line with the population it actually serves.

DO NOT lock taxpayers into another round of spending increases before that work can even begin.

I am calling on the City Council to:

✂️ CUT the remaining proposed budget increases.

✅ VOTE FOR THE NO-NEW-REVENUE RATE — AT A MINIMUM.

Then let our new City Manager get to work.

85% growth in personnel costs with essentially 0% population growth should be a wake-up call.

Smithville families have to live within their means.

City Hall should too.

It is time to HOLD THE LINE.

09/03/2026

SMITHVILLE: SPENDING SHOULDN'T GROW FASTER THAN OUR CITY

From 2017 to 2026, Smithville's population didn't grow at all. Flat. 0%.

Over that same decade:
City budget: +58%
Staff Headcount: +30%
Personnel costs: +41%
U.S. inflation, for comparison: +31.3%

Our budget has grown roughly 85% faster than inflation, while the number of people we serve stayed exactly the same.

Did our services and quality of life improve enough to justify spending 58% more?

City Council has a choice. They can keep growing government, or they can stand up for Smithville taxpayers.

Together, we've already forced them to cut the proposed budget and slash the tax hike in HALF. Now it's time to finish the job.

TELL EVERY COUNCIL MEMBER: Cut the remaining increases and vote for the No New Revenue Rate.

Mayor Sharon Foerster — [email protected]

Tyrone Washington — [email protected]

Brandon Dunham — [email protected]

Jimmy Jenkins — [email protected]

Wini "Neeka" Griffin — [email protected]

Daña Tovar — [email protected]

City Hall: 512-237-3282

JOIN US AT THE BUDGET HEARING:

📍Smithville City Hall
➡️Wednesday, Sept. 9, 5:00 PM

Show up. Speak out. Hold the line.

09/02/2026

🚨BREAKING: BASTROP RESIDENTS FOUGHT BACK — AND WON! 🚨

Following HUGE public outcry, Bastrop City Council just unanimously voted to immediately COVER all Flock cameras and TERMINATE the City’s contract with Flock!

They wanted to create a committee to “study” the cameras.

Bastrop residents said NO.

We didn’t need another committee. We didn’t need months of “studying.” The people demanded action — and tonight, they got it.

Thank you to everyone who showed up, spoke out, made calls, sent emails, and demanded that your voices be heard. And thank you to the council for taking action!

The people won tonight. 🇺🇸

09/01/2026

THE MOMENTUM AGAINST FLOCK CAMERAS IS SURGING — BASTROP MUST ACT TONIGHT.

In just the last few days the national conversation on Flock surveillance cameras has shifted dramatically.

Governor Greg Abbott has halted state funding for Flock cameras in Texas amid mounting concerns over privacy, documented misuse, and the sprawling surveillance network these devices create.

Yesterday, Governor Ron DeSantis ordered Flock and other automated license plate readers be removed from Florida highways within 30 days.

Communities across the country are canceling contracts, shutting cameras off, and demanding answers about who can access residents’ data. In nearby Pflugerville, officials discovered records showing roughly 1.6 million searches by 459 non-partner organizations — and the City Council voted unanimously to terminate the agreement.

This is not anti-law enforcement. It is about ensuring that technology deployed in the name of public safety operates with clear limits, meaningful oversight, real transparency, and genuine accountability.

Bastrop residents deserve to know exactly what information is collected about them, how long it is stored, who can search it, who it has been shared with, and whether the City truly controls that access.

Tonight is our chance.

📍 Bastrop City Hall
🕕 6:00 PM TONIGHT

Show up. Speak out. Demand that the City of Bastrop TX protect the privacy and constitutional rights of the people they represent.

If Texas can hit the brakes, Florida can remove them, and communities across America can cancel these contracts — Bastrop can too.

09/01/2026

Thank you for adding another powerful voice to this critical issue, Senator Lois Kolkhorst! 🇺🇸

09/01/2026

It’s not law enforcement we are concerned about—it’s Flock allowing countless outside entities to access and use the data.

“Sam Aly requested network audit logs and found that 459 outside agencies had accessed Pflugerville’s camera data 1.6 million times in six months.”

This must stop until we know the full extent of the privacy invasion and who has access to our information.

➡️ Contact City of Bastrop and attend their meeting at Bastrop City Hall on Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. to demand that the city end its contract with Flock.

We are actively covering Flock License Plate Reader cameras leased by the City and the system has been turned off.

The contract has been operational while under negotiation for extension since the term ended on July 31, 2026. However, after an issue was discovered in the Flock operating system which permitted non-partner law enforcement agencies to access the City’s Flock data, the City Manager has directed staff to cover City-leased cameras until formal direction has been given by City Council.

City Council meets to discuss the Flock contract at 7 p.m. tonight, Aug. 25, at the Pflugerville Justice Center, 1611 E. Pfennig Lane.

08/30/2026

It was an honor to speak at the 2026 Texas Young Republicans Convention!

Texas’ future is in good hands when young conservatives are willing to step up, get involved, and fight for the principles that make our state the greatest in the nation.

The fight doesn’t stop—and neither do we!

One Party. One Mission. 🇺🇸

08/29/2026

Texas is killing the money pipeline for Flock’s spy cameras.

Gov. Greg Abbott just ordered state agencies to stop funding these systems as communities across the state reject the surveillance state.

These aren’t “just license plate readers.” They capture make, model, color, bumper stickers, dents — and feed searchable databases that let anyone with access track vehicles across entire networks. No warrant needed for the dragnet.

The pushback is working:

✅ Pflugerville City Council voted unanimously to end their contract and kill all 28 readers.

✅ Hood County ordered its 3 cameras disconnected and covered until removal.

➡️ Bastrop needs to be next.

We have 30 of these cameras watching Bastrop roads.

Mass surveillance of everyday people is not public safety. It’s a permanent record of where free Texans go, who they visit, and how they live — without probable cause.

Show up. Speak up. Demand they come down.

📍Bastrop City Hall

🗓️ Tuesday, September 1st • 6:00 PM

Demand the removal of ALL Flock cameras and an end to this warrantless tracking of Bastrop residents.

08/29/2026

Big turnout at the ribbon cutting for the new Caldwell County Republican Party headquarters in Lockhart!

The Texas values and way of life that define Caldwell County is on the line this November.

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who worked so hard to make this headquarters possible, and to all of the volunteers, candidates, and supporters who are putting in the work to build a strong Republican Party in Caldwell County, and to Keep Texas RED!

Stop by to make sure you are registered to vote, and grab some campaign signs.

203 E. Pecan Street
Lockhart, Texas

One Party. One Mission.