Treading ground they must be finding familiar lately, the San Marcos City Council at its regular meeting last week delved into a big-picture discussion on the role of municipal government when talk turned to a homebuyers assistance program funded with federal stimulus money.

Seven new Hays Central Appraisal District directors — elected by the county, cities and school districts — will be sworn in Jan. 21.

Fresh from Washington where he cast a vote for the House’s historic healthcare bill, U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett will headline a rally at Texas State University on Tuesday in support of health insurance reform.

Some San Marcos bars could stay open until 2 a.m. as soon as late June depending on how long it takes the Texas Alcohol Beverage Commission to process applications for revised liquor, beer and wine licenses.

City leaders seek appropriations for a railroad overpass at Aquarena Springs Drive, airport improvements and new and rebuilt sidewalks in the downtown area.

Grappling again with questions about the limits of its own authority, the San Marcos city council on Tuesday tabled a graffiti ordinance that allows police officers to issue citations to people caught with permanent markers and spray paint under what they determine to be suspicious circumstances.

Hays County and the City of San Marcos are working on an arrangement whereby the county would turn over a corner it owns at the intersection of LBJ and MLK Streets for a memorial to Martin Luther King and Lyndon Baines Johnson.

Mayor Susan Narvaiz was returned to a third term after a marathon recount delayed her scheduled swearing in but did not change the final vote tally. Narvaiz said she will reach out to challengers David Newman and Daniel McCarthy to ask for their participation in the city government.

The San Marcos City Council approved a single-stream recycling program on the third and final reading Monday, but Mayor Susan Narvaiz still wants her questions answered.

Against the backdrop of unprecedented turnout countywide — 40,159 of 97,603 registered voters in Hays County have already voted — turnout in the city races is sure to dwarf anything San Marcos has ever seen.