MENU

SHARON SMITH

Sharon Smith practices in the utility, economic development, regulatory, and environmental areas. She specializes in development and financing of water and wastewater, drainage, road, and recreational infrastructure. Her practice also includes special district creation, government economic development incentives, and municipal regulatory matters.

Representative Experience

  • Sharon represents developers and landowners in the creation of public improvement districts (PIDs) and related finance mechanisms, including bond issuances and other debt structures. She also represents purchasers of land in PIDs and special districts, and negotiation of terms relating to the district financing. Sharon served as special counsel in the first PID creation, and the first PID bond issuance, by a Texas county.
  • Sharon represents clients for creation of special districts, such as municipal utility districts and municipal management districts, including creations by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and by the Texas Legislature, and in negotiation of consent, utility, and development agreements. She serves as counsel for special districts and developers in the areas of utility service and finance, environmental issues, water supply, annexation, elections, and various municipal and state regulatory matters.

Prior Experience

  • Sharon provided municipal legal counsel in a variety of areas, including water and wastewater utility acquisitions, utility rate matters, public finance, special districts creation, and land use and development.
  • Sharon served as lead counsel for the first in-city municipal management district in the City of Austin.
  • At the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and its predecessor agencies, Sharon provided legal counsel in all environmental areas, including water quality permitting and enforcement, water utilities, water rights, municipal and hazardous waste permitting, low level radioactive waste, and related matters.
  • Sharon represented the State of Texas in its application for Texas Pollutant and Discharge Elimination System federal authorization.

Professional/Community Involvement

State Bar of Texas

Austin Bar Association – Real Estate, Environmental, and Administrative Sections

Texas Women in Public Finance

All Saints Episcopal Church — Choir, Children’s Sunday School Teacher

Texas Rowing Center