Government
BY ANNA MANESS
Georgetown Animal Shelter staff await approval for proposed county merger
The city’s plan for the proposed WCRAS expansion involves:
Two new buildings with two stories connected to the most recent expansion
Indoor and outdoor dog kennels
Hutto—it must obtain a green light from the Texas attorney general, said Jack Daly, chief business officer in Georgetown’s electric department. “Once we get that approval, then we’ll be really close to formalizing the partnership with [the WCRAS],” Daly said. The attorney general’s office received the proposal in September, Georgetown Animal Services Manager April Haughey said. The merger’s timeline for approval is hard to pinpoint, Daly said, as there’s no legal requirement for when the attorney general’s office must respond to the city of Georgetown.
In November 2023, Georgetown voters approved a $15 million bond to address capacity issues at the Georgetown Animal Shelter. More than a year later, city staff are waiting on state approval to continue with the project. The Georgetown Animal Shelter is in the process of joining and expanding the Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter using funding from the $15 million bond, according to previous Community Impact reporting. While the project received approval from Williamson County and the shelter’s member cities—Round Rock, Cedar Park, Leander and
Consolidating staff members into one building
Addressing cat capacity concerns and projected needs for dogs
SOURCE: CITY OF GEORGETOWN/COMMUNITY IMPACT
If the regional partnership falls through, funding from the bond can be used to expand the city’s shelter instead, according to previous Community Impact reporting.
How we got here
SE INNER LOOP Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter
What to expect
In May 2022, Georgetown City Council members directed city staff to explore a WCRAS partnership. The merger will add 106 dog kennels to the WCRAS, serving all parties until 2035, he said. In December 2023, the WCRAS was over 200% capacity. Daly said staff has been questioned about the effectiveness of a merger when both shelters are at or near maximum capacity. “What we’ve worked through is this partnership where ... over-building kennel capacity will help address some of our space constraints,” Daly said. “We’ve been really thoughtful about not making an obvious bad problem worse.” Daly said the WCRAS also plans to revamp its foster care program to help with overcrowding.
The shelter’s 11 employees have different long-term options if the merger is approved, including a severance package for eligible staff, Haughey said. Williamson County plans to use the Georgetown Animal Shelter’s current location as a satellite adoption center until construction at the WCRAS is completed, Haughey said. Georgetown’s parks administration team will eventually take over the site.
1460
N
Georgetown Animal Shelter
971
35
WALDEN DR.
N
Serving Georgetown for 20 Years! Welcome to Your New Dental Home!
• General Dentistry • Smile Makeovers Crowns in One Visit
• TMJ & Migraine Treatment • Obstructive Sleep Apnea Therapy • Sedation Dentistry
• Dentures • Implants lnvisalign
Call for your FREE Consultation
3622 Williams Dr. Building #2 Georgetown, TX 78628
512.819.9100 WWW.AESTHETICDENTISTRYGT.COM
N
8
COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
Powered by FlippingBook