ISSUE 5 · SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2026 · LIFE BY DESIGN, NOT DEFAULT
THE HERALD ✦ CALDWELL This Week |
Photo: Billy Hathorn / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
The record caught up with the budget. The September 15 minutes are now posted, and they show what we could not tell you last week: the council adopted the FY26-27 budget and set the tax rate that night. The posted pages carry a signed “Date Approved” of 10/20/2026, the date those minutes were on the consent agenda. Details are in Liberty Watch.
Minutes from the Oct 20 meeting usually come with the next agenda. Also new: on Thursday the city posted a notice that two water tanks, including the water tower near W. 12th and S. Broadway, will be drained and repainted, starting in November.
THE HERALD ✦ CALDWELL Liberty Watch |
Photo: City of Caldwell
Sep 15 minutes posted, approved 10/20 | $0.429930 tax rate per $100 | 5.15% increase, per the minutes | Mon 10/26 county court 9 a.m. |
The vote, as posted. Under the minutes, the council held a public hearing on the proposed budget (5:43 to 5:50 p.m.) and one on the tax rate (5:52 to 5:55 p.m.). At the budget hearing, Sunny Street resident Lanny Pipkin said he was concerned the budget has no paid fire administrator. Then, in the regular agenda, the council adopted Ordinance 2026-06, the annual budget (no discussion recorded), and Ordinance 2026-07, levying taxes, at a tax rate of $0.429930 per $100 of value. The minutes call that “effectively a 5.15 percent increase in the tax rate.” A third motion ratified the rate shown in the budget. The minutes record “all in favor” on each.
The rest of that night: all in favor on the consent agenda (the August 18 minutes, Bureau Veritas as city fire marshal for a year, Resolution 2026-014 amending the FY26-27 fee schedule, and a TxDOT airport maintenance grant) and on the Texas Municipal League Region 10 election and a bank contract extension with Prosperity Bank to September 2027. Ordinance 2026-08, on municipal retirement-system benefits, passed with Alderman Trnka abstaining. Residents spoke about parking on Meadowbrook Drive, missing signs and broken fountains at Hejl Park, and water and electric service for the OSR ballpark. The posted budget PDF’s pages are still headed “DRAFT,” but the minutes are the record of the vote.
Tuesday, October 20: agenda only. The packet is posted, so here are the proposed terms, not outcomes. The Caldwell ISD agreement for the Municipal Building at 107 S. Hill would run from May 31, 2027 through December 31, 2028 at $2,000 a month, with either side able to end it on 120 days’ written notice. The Brazos Valley Area Agency on Aging contract for senior-center operations lists $14,000 in cost reimbursement over October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2028. Whether council approved either as printed is not on the record yet.
County court. The Burleson County Commissioners Court meets Monday, October 26 at 9 a.m. at the courthouse. Its posted agenda includes budget amendments for 24 county offices and funds, two Texas General Land Office grant certifications ($73,580 and $712,813.43), and two special road-use permits for Magnolia Oil & Gas, plus an auditor’s note that October sales tax of $137,217 is up 16% over October 2025. Minutes for the October 13 meeting are still not posted; the latest posted are September 28.
| Your move: to speak at the November 17 meeting, fill out the city’s Citizens to Be Heard form and give it to the City Secretary before the meeting starts (by email, or on paper at the meeting). Comments run three minutes. The council cannot respond to items not on the agenda. Questions: City Secretary Amanda Frank, 979-567-3271 ext. 106. |
Sources: Sept 15 minutes (council calendar) · Oct 20 agenda, reports and packet · Agendas & Minutes · Speaking at a council meeting · County court agendas & minutes · County agenda, Oct 26
THE HERALD ✦ CALDWELL Mapping Our Community: Where All of City Hall’s Money Goes |
For two weeks we have looked at the General Fund. It is not the whole budget. The FY26-27 budget lists $20,366,236 in expenditures across all funds. The General Fund’s $6,205,695 is about 30% of that.
Source: City FY26-27 budget, All Funds Summary. *Capital, debt, grant and special funds plus the airport.
$7.76M Electric Fund, the biggest line | $6.21M General Fund (police, streets, library) | $20.4M all funds, FY26-27 |
The biggest single fund is the city’s Electric Fund, $7,755,260, with $7,757,500 in budgeted revenue. The water, wastewater and sanitation funds add $1,147,405, $936,160 and $1,048,816. The budget’s own footnote says interfund transfers are shown in full and not netted out, so the all-funds total counts some money twice.
The lens worth keeping: the General Fund covers police, streets, the library and more, while the utility funds are budgeted on their own, with their own revenue. When you read the budget, ask which fund a number sits in before you decide what it says about your taxes.
| GO DEEPER The Caldwell record: budgets, tax rates, votes and who governs, every figure sourced — councilonlocalrelations.org/tx/caldwell/ Start here — the Primers: 01 The Long Flat Line (how the family changed) · 02 The Documents We Live Under (the written rules that limit power) · 03 The Household (what a household buys, priced in years of work) · all primers → From the Council: This week: Formation Comes Before Function (The Shepherd); If It's Not Written, It Doesn't Exist (The Advocate); Empty Rooms Are Not Consent (The Sentinel); Culture Moves Faster Than Argument (The Maestro); On Time. In Budget. No Bullshit. (The Builder). Get them by email → |
Sources: FY26-27 budget (city PDF) · Budget & Financial Reports
THE HERALD ✦ CALDWELL From the Council This Week |
 | MONDAY, OCT 26 · THE ELDER Before We Build Anything New, Someone Should Ask What Was Here |
 | TUESDAY, OCT 27 · THE COUNSELOR The Mortar Is the Part Nobody Sees |
 | WEDNESDAY, OCT 28 · THE PHYSICIAN Health Is a Project, Not a Prayer |
 | THURSDAY, OCT 29 · THE PATRON Wisdom That Does Not Transfer Dies |
 | FRIDAY, OCT 30 · THE CLIENT Teach Me: Notes From the Seat That Sits Down to Learn |
Every piece, every figure linked to its source: councilonlocalrelations.org
THE HERALD ✦ CALDWELL Around the Block |
Photo: Patrick Feller / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
| Burleson County Commissioners Court — 9 a.m., county courthouse in Caldwell. | ||
| Library: GED-Foundations (10:30 a.m.–noon, Tuesdays and Thursdays) and Knot Just Knitting (2 p.m., all ages, every Tuesday). | ||
| Bookworms Storytime — 9:45 a.m., library, for babies, toddlers and preschoolers, followed by play centers. Thrillers & Killers, the adult true-crime book club, 5:30–6:30 p.m. | ||
| Homeschool Meet & Greet — 10 a.m., last Thursday of the month; usually at the Civic Center, sometimes the library. Call 979-567-3271 ext. 500 to confirm. | ||
| Library Advisory Board Town Hall — Nov. 4, 6–8 p.m., library, 704 State Highway 21 W. (Airport Advisory Board meets earlier that day, 2 p.m.) |
Also on the calendar: City Hall is closed Wednesday, November 11 for Veterans Day. The next Main Street meeting is Tuesday, November 10 at 5:30 p.m. Run a Caldwell event? Send it by Thursday.
Sources: City events calendar · Council calendar · Library
THE HERALD ✦ CALDWELL Prosperity Spotlight |
Caldwell Veterinary Clinic — pets, horses and cattle on Presidential Corridor
Caldwell Veterinary Clinic was founded in the early 1960s by Dr. Alvin Kutach, and its current clinic building dates to 1967, according to its own website. Dr. Cynthia “Cindy” Jungman, who joined the practice in 1997, is the owner; she and Dr. Rachael Eisaman treat dogs, cats, horses, cattle, goats, sheep and fair-project animals, with boarding for small animals. The clinic does not take after-hours emergency calls and refers those to the Texas A&M emergency services (small animals 979-845-2351, large animals 979-845-3541).
| Caldwell Veterinary Clinic · 845 Presidential Corridor E., Caldwell · 979-567-4155 Mon–Fri 8 a.m.–noon and 1–5:30 p.m., closed Saturday and Sunday · caldwellvettx.com |
Sources: About the clinic · Doctors · Contact & hours
Photo: Caldwell Veterinary Clinic, from its website. We chose this business ourselves; no one paid for the feature.
THE HERALD ✦ CALDWELL Food Scene |
Photo: Jake’s Bakery, from its Facebook page
Jake’s Bakery
Jake’s Bakery makes kolaches in a town that holds a Kolache Festival on the Square every September. Its Facebook page describes “fresh Czech kolaches from our family to yours since 1956,” and the bakery went live on the page on October 17. A flyer on the page for its October 17 re-order listed fruit and poppy-seed flavors, a seasonal pumpkin cream cheese, and sausage-and-cheese. Orders on that flyer were by phone, so call ahead for a dozen and for what is on the shelf.
| Jake’s Bakery · 160 Hwy 36 N, Caldwell · (979) 324-0741 Call ahead for hours · facebook.com/profile.php?id=100035936624035 |
Sources: Jake’s Bakery on Facebook · Burleson County Chamber listing
✦ Trivia Question |
For more than four decades, from 1898 through 1940, Caldwell was home to a Texas National Guard company, and the town was the smallest in Texas to have a full infantry company. Which company, by letter? (Answer at the bottom.)
✦ Quote of the Day |
“A people who mean to be their own Governours, must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.” — James Madison to W. T. Barry, August 4, 1822
✦ Secret Little Hack |
City Hall (114 S. Echols St.) is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., but closed every day from noon to 1 p.m., and the city posted in September that it has a new drop box for payments. If your lunch hour is the only time you can get there, plan around it (city website).
THE HERALD ✦ CALDWELL Real Estate Pulse |
112 homes for sale, Sep 2026 | +58% for sale vs. 71 a year ago | 49 homes sold, Sep 2026 | $249K median estimated home value |
Source: RealtyTrac, ZIP 77836
Last week we looked at prices. This week, supply: RealtyTrac’s page for the 77836 ZIP still shows its September snapshot, with 112 homes for sale, up 58% from 71 a year ago, while 49 sold in September, up 36% from 36. The page says 95 properties sold in the past twelve months and puts the median estimated home value at $249,000, about $157 a square foot. By our math, 112 listings against about eight sales a month is roughly 14 months of supply. Your move: with this many homes listed, ask your agent how long comparable homes have sat before you accept a first price.
Sources: RealtyTrac — Caldwell 77836
| Looking to buy or sell? Nina Bright, Realtor — call or text 832-689-3170. Full disclosure: Nina is David’s wife. |
THE HERALD ✦ CALDWELL Service Opportunities |
Photo: Hot Furnace / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Serve on a city board. The city lists the Housing Authority Advisory Board and the Main Street Advisory Board under “Current Opportunities”; residents can apply as vacancies occur (boards & committees). Volunteer with the city: the city’s Get Involved page now describes volunteer help with administrative work, library activities and special events, with a volunteer form and a background check (get involved). Get city alerts: the city runs a public alert sign-up (sign up).
THE HERALD ✦ CALDWELL Adopt a Friend |
 | Meet Linda Adult · Female · German Shepherd Dog Her listing says she is spayed, expected to grow to 61 to 100 pounds, good with kids and dogs, and not good with cats. Haven adopts by application, then an interview and a meet-and-greet. See Linda’s listing → |
| Haven Animal Rescue of Texas · havenanimalrescueoftexas.com · adoptmeathart@gmail.com (listed on the city’s Animal Services page) No walk-in hours are listed; start with an application on the rescue’s site. |
THE HERALD ✦ CALDWELL Growth & Learning |
Illustration
Open the September 15 minutes with your kids (here). On page 3, find the tax rate ($0.429930 per $100) and ask: if a home is worth $100,000, how many dollars is that? ($429.93 a year in city tax.) Then ask who made the motion, who seconded it, and how the council voted. Minutes are how a town remembers what it decided. More at unrivaledacademy.com.
THE HERALD ✦ CALDWELL Local Theory & Remnant Radio |
 | Now playing: Beef — Local Theory (April 2, 2026 · 11 tracks). Listen. Remnant Radio streams the whole catalog 24/7 at radio.thinkandactlocally.com · Spotify. Thirteen releases. Sovereignty through sound. In the Studio now: An Introduction to God. Vote on the mixes. |
THE HERALD ✦ CALDWELL Weather Forecast |
Sun  Mostly cloudy 82° 53° | Mon  Mostly sunny 83° 60° | Tue  Partly sunny 81° 60° | Wed  Slight chance storms 84° 62° | Thu Chance showers 83° 60° | Fri  Chance showers 81° 62° |
Mild and mostly dry to start the week: a high near 82 today with a low near 53 tonight, then highs from 81 to 84 and lows around 60. Rain chances arrive late in the week: a 20% chance of showers and thunderstorms Wednesday afternoon, 30% Thursday and 50% Friday. The forecast posted Saturday afternoon runs through Friday.
Sources: National Weather Service (HGX), updated Oct 24, 1:21 p.m. CT
✦ CrowdHealth |
 | David and his family left traditional health insurance for CrowdHealth — a community that funds each other’s medical bills. Bills get negotiated down first; no claims department, no denial letters. See how it works. We earn a referral if you join. CrowdHealth is not insurance. David is a paying member. |
✦ Unrivaled Travels |
 | Planning a trip worth taking? Our own travel service books the expedition, cruise, or getaway you’ll remember — at no markup. info@unrivaledtravels.com · 281-241-1994 · unrivaledtravels.com One of our own businesses. |
✦ Unrivaled Candles |
 | Hand-poured jewelry candles — every one hides a piece of jewelry inside, valued from $10 to $10,000. Burn it down and find out what’s yours. Shop Unrivaled Candles. Full disclosure: one of our own businesses. |
✦ Unrivaled Marketing Solutions |
 | You built the business — now make sure your Caldwell neighbors can find it. Book a free 15-minute call with David: we’ll look at how your business shows up online and where customers may be slipping past. If you want us to fix it, that’s paid work, and David will go over the price on the call. Book a free 15-minute call. One of our own businesses. |
✦ Sponsor Spot |
This spot is open. Sponsor this spot — reach Caldwell neighbors every Sunday, in the one inbox they actually read. Reply to book it.
✦ They Told Him He Was Crazy |
David sold his metals. Not trimmed — sold. He kept the receipts, every decision sourced, so you can decide for yourself: conviction, or crazy? Read the filing →
David’s own account; affiliate link. Support never touches coverage.
✦ Have a Question? Ask It Live |
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Register for a free live call →
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We earn a referral if you join. Education, not financial advice. Options involve risk of loss.
✦ Tuttle Twins: For the kids at your table |
 | The Tuttle Twins Monster Sale runs through Halloween. Their graphic novels turn big ideas about money and freedom into adventures kids actually want to reread — and brand-new Season 4 just landed. All four seasons (44 hardcover books) are $349 this month. Get ready for questions at dinner. As a Tuttle Twins affiliate, TAAL may earn a commission if you buy through our link. |
THE HERALD ✦ CALDWELL Community Voices |
Who made Caldwell a little better this week? The librarian who ran storytime, the neighbor who watched a kid cross the street, the crew that kept the lights on. Hit reply — one or two sentences — and we’ll run the best next Sunday.
✦ Take Action |
- Read the real minutes of the September 15 council meeting: posted here (page 3 has the budget and tax-rate votes).
- Plan to speak at the next council meeting, Tuesday, November 17, 5:30 p.m. (107 S. Hill St.): fill out the city’s speaker form first (how it works).
- Call ahead to Jake’s Bakery, 160 Hwy 36 N, (979) 324-0741, before you plan on a dozen.
✦ Submit Your Content |
Events, business features, volunteer calls, letters from Caldwell: david@thinkandactlocally.com. Deadline: Thursday 5 PM for Sunday.
✦ Answer to Trivia |
Company E. A company of the Texas National Guard was headquartered in Caldwell from 1898 through 1940, and Caldwell was the smallest town in Texas to have a full infantry company (Handbook of Texas).
THE HERALD ✦ CALDWELL Keep the Herald Free |
No advertiser sets our coverage — readers keep it alive. The cheapest way to help: forward this to one neighbor who’d rather read the minutes than hear about the vote secondhand.
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The Herald is published by Think and Act Locally. Its facts come from the public record kept by the Council on Local Relations, which shares a founder with Think and Act Locally. Portions drafted with AI assistance and reviewed before publication. Reply anytime: david@thinkandactlocally.com.
