CITY & COUNTY
ELECTION RESULTS ELECTION RESULTS ROUND ROCK CITY COUNCIL Place 1 Council Member Michelle Ly and Place 4 Council Member Frank Ortega won their seats in the May 6 election.
News from Round Rock & Williamson County
COMPILED BY BROOKE SJOBERG
Round Rock City Council will meet June 8 and 22 at 6 p.m. 216 E. Main St., Round Rock 512-218-5401 www.roundrocktexas.gov Williamson County Commissioners Court will meet June 13 at 9:30 a.m. 710 S. Main St., Georgetown 512-943-1100 • www.wilco.org MEETINGS WE COVER NUMBER TO KNOW That is the number of ballots cast in Williamson County as part of the May 6 special and general election. 33,566 HIGHLIGHTS ROUND ROCK City crews began construction of a new fire station May 12 at 1730 E. Old Settlers Blvd., Round Rock. The facility is a project of the 2023 bond that passed May 6, and city staff said the fire station will help improve response times in the area. The city owned the land prior to the bond election, and officials approved design and construction contracts for the fire station in February.
Some Round Rock shopping centers to be improved
Ly, Ortega win Round Rock City Council place 1, 4 races Both incumbents—Place 1 Council
Williamson County cities making pitches for bond funding
PROGRAM CRITERIA Multiple factors will be considered in reviewing applications for grant funds to improve Round Rock businesses. These include:
parent community leader, received 44.19% of the vote. “I’m just honored that I get to serve Round Rock for another three years, and I am so thankful for my supporters and thankful for the whole village that it took to get me to this victory,” Ly said. For Place 4, incumbent Frank Ortega, a real estate agent, drew almost a 10 percentage point lead over opponent Greg Rabaey, and received 54.35% of the vote. Rabaey, a retail energy executive, received
45.65% of votes. “I would like to say thank you to the citizens of Round Rock for trust- ing in me to follow up with what I said, with truth and transparency,” Ortega said. Ly and Ortega were first elected to their seats in November 2020 and will serve another three-year term before their seats are up for election again in 2026. Votes were canvassed, or made official, on May 25 for all elections within the city of Round Rock.
Member Michelle Ly and Place 4 Council Member Frank Ortega— successfully defended their seats on Round Rock City Council in the May 6 election. Ly, a self-employed manager at Hall Roofing and Construction, The Rock Sports Bar, The Flats and Alcove Cantina, won with about an 11 percentage point lead over challenger Shannon Probe, garner- ing 55.81% of all ballots cast. Probe, a former educator and an at-home
Condition of the building or structure proposed for improvement Economic impact and its ability to increase taxable value to the business and surrounding area Need, historical accuracy, design quality and compatibility with other buildings in the program boundaries
BY GRANT CRAWFORD
PLACE 1
BY BROOKE SJOBERG
WILLIAMSON COUNTY Residents could decide whether a host of transportation projects will receive funding later this year as a committee of citizens is assessing the region’s road and bridge needs. As part of the Williamson County Citizens Bond Committee’s mission to analyze the county’s infrastructure needs, its members met with city and county officials throughout May to hear requests for project funding. The committee, composed of nine members appointed by the Williamson County Commissioners Court, plans to bring a recommen- dation for projects to the court by June 27. The county has invited cities to bring project proposals to be consid- ered in a November bond election.
ROUND ROCK Two shopping centers may soon get upgrades thanks to a new city economic development program. City officials approved a new facade grant program May 11, creating a new funding method for business owners to revitalize the exterior of their operations. The grant program will fund facade remodeling, revitalization and other projects to improve the exterior of a place of business up to a 50% match with a maximum amount of $100,000. The first applicants were repre- sentatives of the Rock Creek Plaza and Renaissance Square shopping centers. Both are located along Mays Street in Round Rock. The Rock Creek Plaza owners
55.81% Michelle Ly
Incumbent
44.19% Shannon Probe
PLACE 4
54.35% Frank Ortega 45.65% Greg Rabaey
Incumbent
SOURCES: WILLIAMSON COUNTY, TRAVIS COUNTY/ COMMUNITY IMPACT
SOURCE: CITY OF ROUND ROCK/COMMUNITY IMPACT
are seeking $100,000 to add to a $2.1 million project to overhaul the center’s exterior. City staff said work includes new signage, awnings and parking lot repairs. Owners of the Renaissance Square retail center located at Mays Street and Hester’s Crossing also sought $100,000 amount to add to a $414,000 project to improve the shopping center.
Round Rock voters pass largest bond in city’s history Two propositions that total $274 million and combine to form the largest bond in Round Rock history passed in the May 6 election. The bond will fund the improvement of city facil- ities and several public safety projects. It consists of Proposition A, which designates $230 million
to improve city parks, facilities and trails, and Proposition B, which allocates $44 million to the city’s Public Safety Training Center and two new fire stations. “Round Rock is a great place to live, and the qual- ity of life that we have today is a result of decades of planning, investment at work by the community, by people in the community,” said Writ Baese, a representative of Vote for Round Rock, a political action committee advocating for the bond.
THE BOND PACKAGE Round Rock residents approved $274 million in bond funds for projects to improve the city.
Improvements to amenities and recreational facilities: $230 million
PROP. A
Total: $274M
PROP. B
Public safety: $44 million
SOURCE: CITY OF ROUND ROCK/COMMUNITY IMPACT
ROUND ROCK 201 University Oaks Blvd (512) 341-9066
GEORGETOWN 1013 W University Ave (512) 868-6696
CEDAR PARK 13530 Ronald Reagan Blvd (512) 986-7681
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