CITY & COUNTY
News from Round Rock & Williamson County
COMPILED BY BROOKE SJOBERG
NUMBER TO KNOW right of way approved for purchase by council Nov. 17 for the Red Bud Lane widening project $84,282 The cost of a section of
Water plan update to evaluate demand and costs
ROUND ROCK Among other ben- efits, a new update to Round Rock’s waste water master plan will help the city confirm costs and complete a 2023 impact fee study underway. During an Oct. 27 meeting, officials approved a $115,000 engineering contract for the water master plan update. CDM Smith Inc. won the contract, according to city information. City documents state CDM Smith Inc. will evaluate water demands based on growth projections since the last update in 2020. Michael Thane, the director of the Round Rock Utility Department,
said the ongoing impact fee study requires an update on the status of the water system and needed proj- ects to ensure fees will contribute appropriately to project costs. “We’re doing this because we’re seeing some tremendous growth, and construction costs continue to rise,” Thane said. “We want to make sure that we get these projects and the cost identified so that when we do our impact fee update after the mas- ter plans, we’ll have those projects in there so that we can have new growth continue to pay for itself.” The city’s water construction fund will pay for the project.
PROJECTED DEMAND City staff said an update to the Round Rock wastewater master plan is needed because of rapid population growth that results in comparable demand. Round Rock projected population
QUOTE OF NOTE
Round Rock City Council Will meet Dec. 15 at 6 p.m. 216 E. Main St., Round Rock 512-218-5401 www.roundrocktexas.gov Williamson County Commissioners Court Will meet Dec. 6, 13 and 20 at 6 p.m. 710 S. Main St., Georgetown. 512-943-1550 • www.wilco.org MEETINGS WE COVER WILLIAMSON COUNTY The Williamson County Economic Development Partnership announced it hired an executive director Oct. 27, two days after the county’s Commissioners Court approved a contract to pay the group $500,000 to help foster the region’s economic opportunities. Dave Porter, former senior vice president of economic development for the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce, will serve as the EDP’s first executive director. He previously worked with the organization as a consultant to help create its strategic plan. HIGHLIGHTS ROUND ROCK Round Rock Police Department’s Operation Front Porch, a program allowing residents to have packages delivered to the police department to avoid package theft, has returned for the 2022 holiday season. Packages can be shipped with the purchaser’s name and Round Rock Police Department, 2701 N. Mays St., Round Rock, listed as the address. Additional information regarding pickup times and pickup requirements can be found at www.roundrocktexas.gov. CRAIG MORGAN, ROUND ROCK MAYOR, SPEAKING TO THE LARGE NUMBER OF MULTIFAMILY HOUSING PROJECTS UNDERWAY IN THE CITY “WE DON’T HAVE A LOT OF PROPERTY LEFT. I JUST THINK THAT’S SOMETHING THAT WE’LL HAVE TO KIND OF LOOK AT, EXAMINE AND STUDY. HOPEFULLY WE’LL HAVE SOME STUFF GOING FORWARD WITH THE LEGISLATURE TO HELP US.”
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SOURCE: CITY OF ROUND ROCK/COMMUNITY IMPACT
Officials approve economic development incentive for chip cleaning company ROUND ROCK Officials approved an economic development agreement with Komico Technology Inc. during a Nov. 17 meeting. Under the agreement, the semiconductor parts cleaning and coating company will expand its existing Round Rock facility at 201 Michael Angelo Way by about 40,000 square feet, making a total of $20 million in real property improvements and a $10 million investment in business personal property by Dec. 31, 2024, according to city documents. The business will also add a total of 70 jobs on or before Dec. 31, 2025. In exchange for this investment, the Round Rock Transportation and Economic Development Corp. will make a total of $750,000 in incentive payments to Komico over the course of three years from 2024-2026. The agreement features provisions to return funds if Komico cannot fulfill the agreement after the city has made any incentive payments.
NEW ADDITIONS Over the next two years, the city of Round Rock will purchase a total of 30 new vehicles to maintain city operations:
9
21 Ford Lightning F-150s
Chevy Silverado 1500s
SOURCE: CITY OF ROUND ROCK/COMMUNITY IMPACT
EV fleet delay results in city buying gas-run vehicles ROUND ROCK Following a delay of electrical vehicles approved for purchase in February, Round Rock City Council approved a $1 million purchase agreement for conventional gas-powered vehicles Nov. 3. Chad McDowell, Round Rock general services director, said the purchase of nine Ford Lightning F-150s has been delayed to 2023, and the new purchase is necessary to maintain ongoing city operations in the meantime. “With supply chain issues out there, a lot of our current orders have been delayed,” McDowell said. The 21 Chevrolet Silverado 1500s will be added to the city’s fleet as part of its regular replacement schedule as the electric vehicles will be in the future.
Economic development agreement for Round Rock Amp terminated
CONTRACT ELEMENTS Because the agreement between Round Rock and Totkn LLC was terminated, several mandates are no longer required, including: • City waiving $30,000 in development fees • Totkn LLC hiring 40 staff members • Totkn LLC investing $10 million into venue
ROUND ROCK City Council agreed to terminate its economic develop- ment agreement with Totkn LLC, the developer of music venue Round Rock Amp, on Nov. 17. City documents state the resolution comes as Round Rock Amp operates productively at a reduced scale. The original economic development agreement approved in April 2018
scheduled the music venue to be completed by Dec. 31, 2019. Though an extension was given for Dec. 31, 2021, investment requirements and a completion date were not met due to complications from the COVID-19 pandemic. The documents state both parties sought to terminate the agreement, and no economic incentives were paid.
SOURCE: CITY OF ROUND ROCK/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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ROUND ROCK EDITION • DECEMBER 2022
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