CITY & COUNTY
News from Georgetown & Williamson County
Georgetown City Council will meet May 23 and June 13 at 6 p.m. at 510 W. Ninth St., Georgetown. 512-930-3652 https://georgetown.org Williamson County Commissioners Court will meet May 23 and June 6 and 13 at 9:30 a.m. at 710 S. Main St., Georgetown 512-943.1100. www.wilco.org MEETINGS WE COVER HIGHLIGHTS GEORGETOWN Incumbent Mayor Josh Schroeder was re-elected with 85.6% of the vote during the May 6 election. His challenger, Jonathan Dade, received the other 14.4% of the vote. Schroeder said he ran for re-election to complete the planning work the city has began in response to its rapid growth. WILLIAMSON COUNTY The median value of a home in the county dropped about 11% year over year from $520,415 to $461,391, according to the Williamson Central Appraisal District. However, homeowners may have seen a 10% increase on the taxable value of their home due to a requirement that mandates this increase until the assessed value equals the market value.
City outlines 4 potential needs for November bond election
County approves Disney-aliated municipal district
City seeks public input on mobility projects
EVALUATING PROJECT NEEDS
DISTRICT FEATURES The Solana Municipal Utility District No. 1 will:
BY GRANT CRAWFORD
Over the next several months, Georgetown City Council will review potential projects to be funded by a November bond election. May-June: City Council will review proposed projects. July 11-12: Council will conduct budget workshops. Aug. 8: The city manager will propose a new budget. Aug. 9-21: The council must decide whether to call a bond election to put on a November ballot.
Council directed sta in May 2022 to evaluate a partnership with the Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter and provide funding for an expansion to that facility. • Among the highest priorities from the 2022 parks master plan are improvements to Bark Park and the pickleball courts at McMasters Athletic Complex. • The plan also identied specic recommendations to either renovate or expand the existing Georgetown Recreation Center, or build a new one. A study is underway to further evaluate
the project. • Ocials have discussed the need for an 80,000-square-foot facility for development activities, such as engineering, planning and inspection services. The bottom line : Assistant City Manager Laurie Brewer said sta has looked at how the city can utilize growth to maintain its property tax rate of $0.374 per $100 valuation. Estimates for FY 2023-24 show the city could generate an addi- tional $50 million through new development and increased property values.
Span 7,000 acres in Williamson and Bell counties
GEORGETOWN Planning to eval- uate and develop a November bond election for the city is underway with ocials beginning to review potential projects to fund in May. In a nutshell : The city has per- formed various studies to identify community needs and determine what projects could be included in a bond. The breakdown: The following have been identied as potential needs: • With capacity concerns at the Georgetown Animal Shelter, City
BY CLAIRE SHOOP
GEORGETOWN Through May 31, residents have the opportunity to provide feedback on two city roads: Williams Drive and Austin Avenue. Georgetown began a study in late 2022 to look at adding medians along Williams Drive to increase safety by consolidating the number of driveways, and adding protected turn lanes and increased lighting. And the city in partnership with the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization is conducting the Austin Avenue Corridor Study to look at alternative modes of transpor- tation and safety measures. GATHERING INPUT Georgetown residents can complete the two mobility surveys online.
BY GRANT CRAWFORD
Contain about 14,000 homes
WILLIAMSON COUNTY The creation of a municipal utility dis- trict for a residential development— which could have ties with The Walt Disney Co.—received a stamp of approval from the Williamson County Commissioners Court on April 11. County Judge Bill Gravell said the Solana Municipal Utility District No. 1 is being created through the state Legislature and will need the approval of state lawmakers. He said the project’s funding sources and DMB Development LLC’s potential aliation with Disney “is really a decision by the developer.” “The family that owns Solana Ranch very much cares about the environment, our water [and] our trees,” Gravell said. “I appreciate the seriousness of the conversation.
Provide rights of way needed for long-term transportation plans
SOURCE: WILLIAMSON COUNTY COMMUNITY IMPACT
I can assure you that Disney World is not going to build a theme park at this location. However, it could well be other Disney property.” A municipal utility district, or MUD, is a special political subdivision providing developers with an alternative way to nance infrastructure, such as sewage, water, drainage, roads and other services, through taxes. Gravell said the Solana MUD is a product of annexation laws as state law does not allow cities to add land outside of their extraterritorial jurisdiction.
Nov. 7: Election Day
SOURCE: CITY OF GEORGETOWN COMMUNITY IMPACT
County studying elected ocials’ salaries for potential increase WILLIAMSON COUNTY The county’s human resources department will compare the salaries of its elected ocials with others in the state after Commissioners Court approved a salary study BY GRANT CRAWFORD April 25 for a possible cost-of-living increase. The salaries and stipends to be reviewed include those for the positions of county judge, county commissioner, county constable, justice of the peace, county treasurer, county tax
assessor-collector, district clerk, county clerk, county attorney and county sheri. The court was asked if the public will have a chance to weigh in on any potential pay raises. “I think the decision that we have of setting a salary is a constitutional authority that we’ve been given by the state of Texas,” County Judge Bill Gravell said.
GEORGETOWN 1013 W University Ave (512) 868-6696
ROUND ROCK 201 University Oaks Blvd (512) 341-9066
CEDAR PARK 13530 Ronald Reagan Blvd (512) 986-7681
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