Officials say they are trying to do better
COUPLAND — As the small city on the edge of south Williamson County grows, local officials say they are doing their best to keep up with required financial notices and administrative issues, but add mistakes have been made.
One recent controversy raising some hackles surfaced when the City Council did not comply with the state’s transparency laws requiring the posting of a public notice about the municipal budget in a local newspaper.
Coupland missed the deadline but still approved the city budget during the Aug. 18 meeting, leading to pushback from some residents.
The media center at the new Coupland Junior High and High School was filled with residents ready to voice and hear complaints about the city’s budget and the city secretary’s salary.
“They’re not following state guidelines regarding budgets, permits, ordinances or expenditures,” said former alderman and local business owner Wells Mason.
Resident Prissy Rumel added, “The city is not keeping up with the communication to the citizens as specified in Texas code…I
See COUPLAND • page 2 (assumed) since nothing regarding the budget was done according to the Texas code, that (they wouldn’t) be able to approve any budget.”
Both Mayor Russell Schmidt and Mayor Pro Tem Sue Rogers acknowledged during and after the meeting that mistakes had been made.
Alderwoman Carolyn Haverland said that as Coupland grows, the city will need more comprehensive financial plans.
“We know we’re going to have to stay on top of it, but we’ve never had to do an in-depth budget before and we’re going to make mistakes,” she said.
The majority of people packing the Aug. 18 session agreed the city, mayor and residents share the same concerns for Coupland and all want what is best for the community.
“To remedy the situation, we need better communication and more transparency from the city,” said Mason, an artist and sculptor.
Some community members noted they were going to apply for council positions and Alderwoman Loretta Patschke commended them.
“We need new blood,” she said. “I’m 82 years old and I stepped up to fill the empty seat on this council because none of you did.”
Coupland’s mayor and aldermen are all volunteer positions. They do not receive any salary or stipend for their work.
Also, at issue are concerns some residents have raised about the $53,000 salary of City Secretary Rachel Wrzuszczak, the sole municipal employee to receive one.
Wrzuszczak declined to comment for this story.
Fully qualified municipal secretaries in Texas earn a median salary of $86,632 to $143,902, depending on the size of the community and professional certifications, such as the Texas Registered Municipal Clerk certification.
Ahead of the meeting, Rumel — a longtime community organizer — gathered information on the salaries of surrounding East Wilco cities and said Wrzuszczak was “being paid way above average,” accounting for about 17% of the city’s budget, especially since the city website says the secretary works six hours a week.
Schmidt and Rogers both noted the website is incorrect and Wrzuszczak works many more hours than what is stated.
They also pointed out in the meeting and, according to residents, in other private discussions, that Wrzuszczak was in the process of earning her certifications.
Haverland said she abstained on the vote to approve Wrzuszczak’s salary because she, too, thought it was high in comparison, but Haverland added, “(Wrzuszczak) doesn’t receive benefits, she doesn’t get insurance, all of that has to come out of her salary.”
In Rumel’s opinion, the city does not need a full-time secretary.
“I’m not trying to get (Wrzuszczak) fired,” she said. “I just want to make sure (the city) is doing the things we’re supposed to be doing.”
Rumel suggested finding a certified secretary willing to work the six weekly hours on a contract basis.
“I think they need to find somebody that they pay $100 an hour that keeps (the city) in line with what they’re supposed to be doing,” she said.
Under state law, a municipal budget must be locked in place by Sept. 29 before the fiscal year begins Oct. 1.
The city is growing — according to the 2020 U.S. census, the population was just under 300 residents, but other trackers in 2026 put that figure closer to almost 500. Williamson County officials note the greater Coupland area has an estimated population of nearly 3,000.
Coupland is also attracting high-tech industries, including a John Deere facility to test experimental farm equipment and Dynamic Systems Inc., which manufactures heating, ventilation, air conditioning and plumbing components for large companies such as Taylor’s nearby Samsung Austin Semiconductor.
In addition to popular attractions such as the Coupland Dancehall, the Coupland Independent School District just opened the new junior high and high school, the first local high school since the previous campus shuttered in the 1940s.
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“We’ve never had to do an in-depth budget before and we’re going to make mistakes.”
— Alderwoman Carolyn Haverland
