The Money Behind the Southwest Connection
- Fight FM150
- Jul 25
- 3 min read
How engineering firms fund Hays County officials who advance development — and how those same firms get paid from public budgets. From campaign filings and county payment records.
$245K Campaign gifts in this set | $144K Going to Walt Smith (Precinct 4) | $48M County payments to firms below (2017–25) | 256 Gift records counted |
Who received the gifts
These are campaign gifts from engineering firms, builders, and related interests — not every dollar each official raised. Walt Smith (road co-sponsor) takes most of the total. Morgan Hammer (the other co-sponsor) has a nominal share.
Official | Office | Gifts | Share | Note |
Walt Smith | Precinct 4 | $144,125 | 59% | Road co-sponsor; also on the local water board |
Mark Jones | Precinct 2 (former) | $32,450 | 13% | Engineering PACs in older filings |
Lon Shell | Precinct 3 (former) | $27,150 | 11% | Engineering / growth gifts in older filings |
Michelle G. Cohen | County Judge | $23,275 | 9% | Includes Quiddity gifts to her judge race |
Debbie Ingalsbe | Precinct 1 | $18,825 | 8% | Older engineering gifts + Quiddity $5k (2025) |
Morgan Hammer | Precinct 3 | $6,000 | 2% | Road co-sponsor; Quiddity $5k (2025) |
Based on local campaign reports and news ($245,175). Not a full dump of every contribution.
Firms that give — and get paid
Same firms show up on both sides: they donate to commissioners, and they get paid for road design, program management, or related work. “Paid” is what Hays County paid each firm from 2017 through 2025 (official vendor reports), unless noted. Rows are ordered by how closely each firm ties to this corridor — not by who got paid the most.
Firm | Gifts to officials | Paid | What they do |
American Structurepoint | $10,500 | $6.29M | Current designer of the Southwest Connection (~$3M design contract) |
K Friese + Associates | $2,975 | $4.18M | Led the early road study ($750k); founder Karen Friese donated to Smith |
HNTB | $17,400 | $15.38M | Manages the county’s road-bond / transportation program |
Quiddity (was Jones & Carter) | $20,750 | $1.14M | County road design work; $5k each to Smith, Hammer, Ingalsbe, and Cohen (2025) |
LJA (with CD&P outreach) | $6,000 | $5.86M | Ran public outreach on the early study; staff donated to Smith |
Pape-Dawson | $5,600 | $2.91M | Designs Sawyer Ranch Road near Dripping Springs (Precinct 4) |
Murfee → Consor | $9,000 | Water utility* | Engineer for the West Travis County water utility — Smith sits on that board |
BGE | $17,700 | $8.18M | County road design/CEI on other corridors (Dacy Lane, Hillside Terrace, Lime Kiln, RM 967, and more) |
Cobb Fendley | $16,000 | $4.48M | ROW, utilities & design on other county roads (Windy Hill, Fitzhugh/RM 12, Hillside Terrace, and more) |
*Murfee / Consor is paid mainly by the West Travis County water utility (large recurring engineering checks), not by the county road vendor report — while Smith serves on that water board. Quiddity totals include its older name, Jones & Carter.
Where the numbers come from
Gifts are from Hays County campaign finance reports (mainly Walt Smith, 2018–2025), plus selected filings for Hammer, Ingalsbe, and Cohen — coded as engineering, homebuilding, land, or related infrastructure money. Paid is from Hays County vendor payment reports (2017–2025). This is not every gift or every vendor invoice in the county.
Sources
Hays County Roads — Southwest Connection (design advancing; construction not funded)
