Round Rock Edition | October 2023

Government

WilCo group in talks with Korean industries A group of 16 Williamson County officials traveled to South Korea Sept. 10-16 in an effort to attract businesses to the area. The gist Included were Williamson County Precinct 4 Commissioner Russ Boles and officials from six Williamson County cities. In Seoul, South Korea, they attended a seminar and held 32 additional meetings with prospective companies. After the trip, the group reported a pool of 100-200 new businesses it can now recruit from. “You want the business in Round Rock, and I want the business in Williamson County, but it benefits us all,” Boles said. “If a business goes to Georgetown, there’s still going to be [Round Rock] businesses that use that business.”

County budget to fund new safety positions Williamson County Commissioners Court adopted a $560.1 million budget for fiscal year 2023-24 and set a new tax rate Aug. 29. Overview The total budget, roughly $53 million more than last year’s, is made up of three funds: a $318.1 mil- lion general fund, a $72.3 million road and bridge fund, and a $169.6 million debt service fund. The budget includes funding for 45 new posi- tions, including six deputy sheriff officers. What residents should know The adopted tax rate, which went into effect Oct. 1, is $0.377445 per $100 valuation, compared to the FY 2022-23 rate of $0.375608 per $100 valu- ation. The average county homeowner is expected to pay $130 more in property taxes for FY 2023-24, according to a Williamson County news release.

"If we funded what the sheri’s deputies association is asking for, we would have

to set a tax rate that would be so oensive that it would anger our citizens." BILL GRAVELL, WILLIAMSON COUNTY JUDGE

Also of note On Aug. 29, Charles Duvall, Williamson County Deputies Association president, said in a news conference he disagreed with the Commissioners Court’s budget decisions regarding staffing, claiming the county does not have enough law officers to serve the region’s growing population and residential development. Duvall said an additional 445 deputy officers are needed to meet the national average of 2.8 deputies per 1,000 county residents, according to data from the FBI.

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