PROPOSITION 1
On the November 4th Texas Statewide Ballot there are 17 constitutional amendment propositions proposed for Texas voters to consider. Of particular interest is Proposition 1 (Senate Joint Resolution 59) which will create a permanent technical institutional infrastructure fund for Texas State Technical College (TSTC). Why is this an important proposition to vote yes for? The Seguin Chamber Board backed the legislation as it worked through the State House and State Senate simply because it benefits the state with filling those technical skills jobs that TSTC is known for high quality curriculum delivery.
Essentially, the local manufacturers struggle to fill those skilled jobs that do not require a 4-year college degree – but instead require technical training skills, like those delivered by TSTC. Last summer, TSTC announced that they were proposing a campus within the region to deliver these needed skills for the regional workforce – regional defined as throughout the I-10 and I-35 corridor.
While this proposition does not exclusively benefit only our region, the bigger picture is that the proposition benefits the state on a broader scale by increasing the skills training pipeline for all of the Texas communities served by TSTC. Most importantly, approval of Proposition 1 does not increase taxes nor does it create a new tax – the funds already exist in the state general fund. We hope that you will join Chamber Leadership and vote YES for Proposition 1 on the November Ballot.
ANNUAL BANQUET
Last week the Chamber celebrated several of our members at the 105th Annual Chamber Banquet and Awards event at the Seguin Coliseum. Every year the event just gets better and every year the business awards nominees make the selections committees job much harder – because they are all great!
The Small Business of the Year for 2025 is Joe Cools AC and Heating while the Large Business of the Year for 2025 is Texas Lutheran University. Both businesses are very deserving for all that they do in the Seguin community – but more importantly for their involvement within the community. The Community Service Awards were awarded to Clara Mae Marcotte and Floyd McKee for all of their work within the community. Both award recipients are truly a pillar within our community. The Chamber’s Young Professionals – Rising Star awards were awarded to Jessica Dersen from Seguin Economic Development Corporation for Professional Leadership and Jake Pflum from Kimley Horn for Community Impact – congratulations to both Rising Stars!
The switching of the Chair of the Board is also an important part of the Banquet tradition each year. The outgoing Chair of the Board Elizabeth Engelhardt from the Seguin Gazette passed the gavel to incoming Chair of the Board Nicole Bruton from Guadalupe Regional Medical Center. Nicole has selected the Chamber Theme for 2025-2026 to be “Nurturing the Growth of Seguin” as we continued to grow as a community. Thank you to all that attended the banquet!
LEADERSHIP SEGUIN
The 2025-2026 Leadership Class is off to a great start! The class had their initial class meeting where they became a team for the next 10-months as the study leadership, tour city and county facilities, visit with our local manufacturers, and select a class project to complete. While the class met for the team building weekend and their first day long meeting, they are already deep into a discussion about what their community service project will be. Chamber Leadership cannot wait to see all of the good things that the leadership class will accomplish!
SEGUIN CRAFT BEER FEST
The inaugural Seguin Craft Beer Festival was a huge success!! While the event was delayed from its original date in July, the event was still successful. There were craft beers from 12 different brewers represented as well as two local wine makers. While there was not a crowd favorite selected this year by the festival goers, there was certainly a lot of fun and mingling from those that attended. Stay tuned for the 2026 Seguin Craft Beer Festival announcement in January 2026.
OTHER LEGISLATIVE ITEMS
While I did focus on Proposition 1, there is another Proposition that is certainly worthy of our attention – Proposition 4 (House Joint Resolution 7). The proposition captures sales tax revenue (up to $1 billion) that would be deposited into the Texas Water Fund each year. The funds in this account can be used to fox aging water transmission pipes, upgrade water transfer infrastructure, and provide funds for developing and increasing new water sources such as desalination. As Texas continues to grow, the needs for water resources too continue to grow; a yes vote for Proposition 4 will help close the gap between the needed supply and the current water supply.
