San Marcos mayor proclaims days honoring three longtime city employees

Mayor Jane Hewson on Jan. 30, 2026 read proclamations honoring three retiring city employees, declaring days in their names and thanking them for decades of public service.

The proclamations recognized Mary Louise Garcia for 47 years at the San Marcos Library, Karen Smith for a cumulative 33 years in the City Manager's Office, and Roya Williamson for nearly 19 years as a victim services coordinator with the San Marcos Police Department. "Thank you for all those years and the thousands of people that you have helped," Mayor Jane Hewson said after reading the proclamations.

Mary Louise Garcia began working at the San Marcos library on Sept. 25, 1978 and was credited in the proclamation with adapting from typewriters to computerized cataloging systems, leading the cataloging of the Texana books from the Mike Cox collection donation, supervising the volunteer program, and strengthening outreach to the Hispanic community as a Spanish speaker. The proclamation says Garcia approved "tens of thousands" of library cards, helped expand patronage as the library grew into a 52,000-square-foot facility with 28 staff, and retired on Jan. 14, 2026. After the proclamation, Mayor Hewson invited photos and a brief comment.

Karen Smith was honored for a career spanning service beginning Jan. 2, 1990, a return to city employment on Aug. 14, 2000, and a cumulative 33 years that included roles listed in the proclamation as administrative secretary, secretary to the city manager, executive assistant and management assistant in the City Manager's Office. The proclamation noted institutional changes during her tenure, citing figures in the proclamation that the city's budget grew from 42,800,000.0 to 371,100,000.0, staff increased from approximately 300 to nearly 890, and the city's population rose from about 35,000 to more than 90,000. After the mayor's remarks, Karen Smith thanked the mayor and colleagues: "33 years has gone by super fast, but I appreciate the team I've got right here."

Roya Williamson was recognized for work with the San Marcos Police Department beginning in June 2007 as the Victim Services Coordinator. The proclamation credited Williamson with rapidly increasing victim contacts early in her tenure, surpassing the Office of the Attorney General Crime Victims Liaison Grant fourth-quarter target by 80%, expanding victim services regionally through the Hays County Family Justice Center and the Texas Victim Services Association, securing funding for an additional victim services specialist, coordinating a regional critical incident stress management team, and assisting more than 730 new victims in 2019. Asked for brief remarks, Williamson said, "It's been an amazing and memorable journey being part of the City of San Marcos team. So love you guys."

The proclamations are ceremonial recognitions and do not reflect formal policy actions or votes. Each proclamation invited brief remarks and photographs following the mayor's presentation. No motions or formal decisions were recorded in the transcript of the ceremony.

Notes: The proclamations list specific service dates, program achievements and numerical claims as cited above; those figures are included as presented in the proclamations and are recorded here as "as stated" by the mayor's reading of each proclamation.