To say Taylor is in transition would be an understatement. The Samsung Austin Semiconductor plant being constructed has changed Taylor forever, but from Mayor Brandt Rydell’s State of the City address Feb. 26, it seems the city is determined to not lose sight of its past as it speeds into an uncharted future.
“This council has had one foot in that old Taylor where we were just struggling to find any budget to do anything in town. Due to their leadership, their vision, we’ve been able to address immediate needs in that regard and now we’ve created a future for Taylor with Samsung’s arrival, and it’s changed the game entirely,” the mayor said.
According to data supplied by Samsung Austin Semiconductor, in 2023 construction activities at the Taylor site pumped $11.7 billion into the local economy and supported more than 18,000 construction jobs. The city received $711,005 in property taxes. Taylor Independent School District received $1,243,858 in property taxes. Added to that is a 193% increase in sales tax, much of which was related to Samsung and the more than 20,000 jobs it created last year.
“There’s going to be opportunities that the average person is going to experience and realize that they might not have ever thought could be an opportunity for them out in rural community Williamson County,” said Temple College representative Billie Logiudice, who attended the State of the City event. “It’s important to hear what those things are and what potentially is coming, and how that’s going to impact me as an average person.”
Regina Jo Carlson, vice president of the Taylor Economic Development Corp., agreed that many haven’t yet realized what the changes will mean to the people of Taylor. “What is happening in Taylor, the impact that is happening, and where we’re going with that impact ... what it is bringing to Taylor for the growth, economy and new jobs impacts everybody.”
Rydell addressed the issue of harnessing that impact while keeping true to Taylor’s roots.
“We heard people saying ‘We love Taylor. We love downtown, we love these neighborhoods, we love the connection we feel with Taylor.’ We looked at our code, and the code we had on the books made that type of Taylor illegal. You could not build that Taylor today. So, we revisited it and thought, what can we do to encourage Taylor’s growth and development to look more like the Taylor we know?” Rydell said, discussing the thought process behind the city’s Envision Taylor Comprehensive Plan.
The city has used the additional funds provided by recent growth — more than $61 million in revenues for 2023 — to add amenities for residents and start the process of upgrading infrastructure previously neglected due to lack of budget. That includes starting on a new city headquarters.
“We’re taking our old City Hall, which is in a Safeway building, we’re taking our municipal court, which is in a former bank, and our police station that’s in an old beer distribution warehouse and we’re putting them all together ... and we’ll have a real honest-to-God city hall and justice center,” Rydell said.
Other 2023 accomplishments included:
• Police Department: Grants to continue the victim services coordinator position and the Department of Justice’s bulletproof vest partnership.
• Fire Department: Five new hazardous material technicians, a new fire prevention officer position and 1,844 children educated on fire prevention measures.
• Finance: Standard and Poor Credit rating upgrade from AA- to AA.
• Parks: Murphy Park centennial celebration, Percussion Park grand opening, soccer mini pitch added to Murphy Park, improvements to Taylor Regional Park, the addition of a new recreation coordinator, the design phase of the Doris Roznovak Aquatic Center and replacement of the playground at Bull Branch Park.
• Development: A new code that will help create walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods, four new homes built for Taylor residents under a partnership between the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs and the city, 110 single-family residential units permitted and four new neighborhoods under construction.
• Public Works: 69 street segments for level ups, addition of a drainage utility system crew and a crew for continuous street maintenance, increased street asphalt patching work and improvement to the municipal cemetery roads and management.
• Capital Improvement Projects: $300,000 grant to begin designing the rehabilitation of the aircraft parking apron; $650,000 grant to replace the fuel farm, completion of the animal shelter rebuild and improvements to Mallard, Fourth and Second streets.
• Downtown: Installation of streetscapes on Second Street and Main Street, striping for additional parking and way-finding signage.
City departments and staff also received a smattering of awards and certifications, including the recent naming of Assistant City Manager Tom Yantis as Texas City Management Association’s Assistant of the Year award.
“This city is about to embark on a golden age, and I could not be more excited to watch it all unfold,” Rydell concluded.
The State of the City address was held as a part of the Greater Taylor Chamber of Commerce monthly luncheons. The next luncheon will be held Monday, March 18, and will be the State of Our Schools address by Taylor Independent School District Superintendent Jennifer Garcia-Edwardsen.
