GEORGETOWN – The Williamson County Commissioners Court is not going to rush its decision on how to respond to the Citizen Bond Committee’s recommendation of a bond election for road and park projects.
The recommendation, which was heard Tuesday, June 27, calls for a $1.69 billion budget to be voted on for road projects and a $78.96 million budget to be separately voted on for park projects. With the high price tag in mind,commissioners will think over the recommendation and pick discussions on the topic back up in late July.
“There’s something powerful about sitting out on the patio with a cup of coffee, thinking through these things without being rushed,” County Judge Bill Gravell said.
A committee was created in late March with the goal of analyzing and reporting infrastructure needs in Williamson County. Each commissioner selected two committee members and Gravell chose former Commissioner David Hays to serve as the committee chair.
The committee conducted six public meetings, received input from every Williamson County city’s municipal utility district and heard from citizens themselves to determine which road and park projects should be added to its report.
The belief that there is a need for roadway and park upgrades stems from the increasing population cities are experiencing in Williamson County. According to projections done in 2021, Williamson County is expected to double its current population by 2045.
Nevertheless, the commisioners likely would bring a recommendation with a significantly lower cost if it were to call for a bond election vote.
“I don’t think anyone argues the need,” Commissioner Precinct 3 Valerie Covey said. “Everybody wants us to hurry up and build it already. The hard part is prioritizing what (projects) we need to do because we don’t have an infinite amount of money at one time.”
Williamson County last held a bond election in 2019, which means holding a bond election would break a recent trend. The county typically has called for a bond election about every six years, hosting one in 2000, 2006 and 2013 before its latest.
Although commissioners have until August to vote on this matter, Gravell said he wants to reach a decision by the end of July to save August mainly to work on the budget as a whole, not the bonds.
If a bond election is held, Williamson County residents would see it on the ballot in November.
