This year, Georgetown leadership took an active role in the Texas legislative session, ensuring the city’s priorities—and residents’ voices—are heard at the state level.
We were actually engaged pretty heavily in 2021 and 2023, mainly working behind the scenes to try and impact legislation,” Mayor Josh Schroeder says, “but this was the first year we spent a lot of time testifying on particular bills and using social media to make the community more aware of what we were doing during the session.”
At the center of Georgetown’s push in Austin was one principle: local control. But the Legislature has chipped away at that authority, Mayor Schroeder says, dictating everything from how many police officers the city can hire, where apartments or mobile homes can be built, and how Georgetown must shoulder the cost of infrastructure for rapid growth it cannot regulate. “We spend so much time engaging our community and trying to ascertain what people want and what their vision is for Georgetown,” he says. “But since being elected, I’ve realized just how little say we have after years of legislation chipping away at local control. It’s time for the pendulum to swing back.”
Helping to further that goal is the Legislative Task Force, a nine-member board of volunteers appointed by the Georgetown City Council. Representing a wide range of community interests, this team helps shape Georgetown’s legislative agenda in preparation for each session. Members not only advise the council but also advocate directly, sharing priorities with lawmakers and neighbors alike. The city’s 2025 Legislative Agenda reflects this collaborative approach. Developed with input from city departments, council subcommittees, and residents, it lays out Georgetown’s positions on key issues: protecting local control in planning and zoning, safeguarding utilities, ensuring fiscal flexibility, strengthening fire and police resources, investing in transportation, and securing long-term water supplies.
ADVOCACY IN ACTION
That agenda guided the city’s work at the capitol during the 89th Legislative Session, which ran from January to June. Five bills in particular—SB 15, 840, 854, 517, and 616—drew Georgetown’s focus.
SB 15 and SB 840, which threatened city authority over housing density and impact fees, were amended to apply only to cities with more than 150,000 residents. “Huge,” Mayor Schroeder says of the amendment. “It would not have happened without the community’s outreach to our elected officials. I guarantee it.”
The city also worked to oppose SB 854, which sought to streamline the development of multifamily and mixed-use housing on religious land by restricting a city’s ability to apply zoning requirements, impose special use permits, or enforce regulations.
At the same time, Georgetown championed SB 517, which prevented homeowners’ associations from fining residents for brown lawns during drought restrictions. “It was honestly a no-brainer,” Mayor Schroeder says. “It can be very difficult to amend deed restrictions that force HOAs to fine homeowners for having brown lawns, and if HOAs don’t enforce one restriction, there is a danger they can waive other restrictions, so the HOAs were honestly happy to have us step in and resolve this catch-22 where the city was telling people they couldn’t water, and HOAs were telling them they had to water.”
Meanwhile, SB 616 opened the door for cities to store treated water underground for future use—a vital step for Georgetown’s long-term water master plan.
Mayor Schroeder credits the city’s victories to active partnerships with lawmakers—especially Representative Terry Wilson—and the persistent voices of residents. A social media “tweet-along” with legislators like Sen. Charles Schwertner and Rep. Caroline Davila (pictured) amplified the city’s message, while direct calls and testimony from residents reinforced it. “I can guarantee you it made a huge difference,” Mayor Schroeder says. “We had other state electeds’ offices call us and tell us to tell our citizens to stop bothering them! I loved it. We may not win every battle, but we are going to make our voices heard.”
Looking ahead, he says the city must continue pushing for relief from SB 2038, the 2023 law allowing landowners to unilaterally remove their property from a city’s extraterritorial jurisdiction. He also pointed to the need for stronger oversight of wastewater “package plants” that could pose environmental and infrastructure challenges.
POWERING POLICY CHANGE
Mayor Schroeder emphasizes Georgetown’s successes at the Capitol are not won by city officials alone—they depend on the participation of its citizens. Here are some ways residents can make their voices heard and help shape Georgetown’s future:
- Join the process. Georgetown’s legislative agenda is created in a public process, with open meetings where community voices help shape priorities.
- Contact elected officials. A quick email or phone call to your state representatives can have more influence than people think.
- Testify at the Capitol. Speaking at a committee hearing carries tremendous weight. “One unpaid, unelected citizen who takes the time to drive down to Austin and speak on an issue has way more impact than I do as mayor,” Mayor Schroeder says.
Click here to learn more about getting involved in Georgetown’s future legislative efforts.