General Information for Candidates and Filing for Office

General Municipal Election

General Municipal Elections are held on the November uniform election date authorized by state law in even-numbered years. The uniform November election date is the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. The November 2023 Election will be held on Tuesday, November 7, 2023. The following offices will be on the 2023 Ballot:

•  Mayor 
•  At-Large Position 2
•  Single Member District B

The 2023 Candidate Packet will be released May 9, 2023.  The first day candidates can begin collecting contributions is November 7, 2022.

The information contained herein, is in compliance with Section 2051.152 of the Government Code requiring political subdivisions with the authority to impose a tax maintain a publicly accessible Internet website and post the date and location of the next election for officers of the political subdivision and the requirements and deadline for filing for candidacy of each elected office of the political subdivision, which shall be continuously posted for at least one year before the election day for the office.  To access the information via the Secretary of States prescribed form, click here. 

Filing for Office

Texas Election Code, Section 143.007(a) states that an application may not be filed earlier than the 30th day before the date of the filing deadline. Texas Election Code, Section 143.007(c) states that for an election to be held on a uniform election date, the day of the filing deadline is the 78th day before Election Day.

The election date is November 8, 2022; the 78th day before the election date is August 22, 2022.  Therefore the first day for filing is the 30th day preceding, that being Saturday, July 23,2022; therefore the date for in-person filing is Monday, July 25, 2022.

** Regular business hours for the Office of the City Clerk are Monday - Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The filing location is the Office of the City Clerk located at 405 E. Loop Street, Building 100, Buda, TX  78610; Fax number (512) 641-5817. 

Office	Office Holder	Term Expires	Filing Deadline	Mailing Address
Mayor	Lee Urbanovsky	November 2023	August 21, 2023	405 E. Loop St., Bldg 100  Buda, TX  78610
At-Large Position 1	Matt Smith	November 2025	TBD - 2025	405 E. Loop St., Bldg 100  Buda, TX  78610
At-Large Position 2	Monica Davidson	November 2023	August 21, 2023	405 E. Loop St., Bldg 100  Buda, TX  78610
At-Large Position 3	LaVonia Horne-Williams	November 2024	TBD - 2024	405 E. Loop St., Bldg 100  Buda, TX  78610
Single Member District A	Paul Daugereau	November 2024	TBD - 2024	405 E. Loop St., Bldg 100  Buda, TX  78610
Single Member District B	Evan Ture	November 2023	August 21, 2023	405 E. Loop St., Bldg 100  Buda, TX  78610
Single Member District C	Terry Cummings	November 2025	TBD - 2025	405 E. Loop St., Bldg 100  Buda, TX  78610

For additional information, a Candidate Packet guide is available for candidates.

Elected Officers of the City of Buda

Office of Mayor
The Mayor is recognized as the head of the City government for all ceremonial purposes, for emergency management purposes, and by the governor for purposes of military law. In addition to these roles, the Mayor exercises the same powers & duties as a Councilmember. Under the City Charter, the City Manager is responsible for the day to day management of City affairs.

Office of Councilmember
According to the City Charter "All powers of the City shall be vested in the City Council, except as otherwise provided by law or this Charter and the City Council shall provide for the exercise thereof and for the performance of all duties and obligations imposed on the City by law". Generally this means that members of the City Council are responsible for exercising all of the powers of the City for the general welfare of the Citizens. Most City Council actions take the form of ordinances (local laws) or resolutions (authorizations) which are approved by a majority vote of the City Council.

Duties & Responsibilities
Councilmembers are expected to maintain regular attendance at City Council meetings. This includes two regular meetings per month and numerous special meetings throughout the year. Most meetings last between 2 and 3 hours, and each Councilmember is provided with a packet ranging from between 100 to 250 pages to review prior to each meeting. In addition to the minimum duties and requirements imposed by law, most members of City Council find that they must also dedicate significant time and resources in order to campaign for office, communicate with constituents, educate themselves on the legal powers and duties of municipal governments, and remained informed on the business of the City.

Compensation
In accordance with the City Charter, the members of City Council are paid a stipend of $100.00 for every meeting attended, while the Mayor is paid a stipend of $150.00 for each meeting attended.

Qualifications for Office

In order to be eligible to be a candidate for Mayor or City Council for the City of Buda, you must meet the following criteria:

1. Be a qualified voter in the City and State at the time of taking office;

2. Be a resident of the City;

3. Have resided continuously in the corporate limits of the City for 12 months immediately preceding the date of the election;

4. Not be in violation of any provision in the Charter;

5. Be 21 years of age or older on the first day of the term to be filled at the election; and

6. Satisfy any other eligibility requirements prescribed by law for the office for which you are a candidate.

Campaign Finance Filings

Candidates for City Council are required by state law to complete and file several forms related to campaign finances. These forms, and the rules and regulations that govern their use, fall under the jurisdiction of the Texas Ethics Commission. While the City Clerk's Office acts as a local repository for these campaign finance reporting forms, we cannot provide guidance to candidates regarding the adequacy of their filings, nor respond to complaints about a candidates filings. All questions about Texas campaign finance laws, and financial reporting, should be forwarded to the Texas Ethics Commission at the contact information below:

Texas Ethics Commission

P. O. Box 12070

Austin, TX 78711-2070

512-463-5800