Williamson County commissioners discussed allocating money in the county’s capital improvement plan to upcoming projects, such as the Juvenile Justice Center, at a March 31 meeting.
Digging deeper
There is almost $17.9 million in the fiscal year 2025-26 CIP budget that has not yet been allocated, County Auditor Julie Kiley said at the meeting.
Commissioners suggested prioritizing current projects with the cash left over, including the remaining balance of the Juvenile Justice Center project, totaling $17.4 million. They voted to allocate $500,000 to an internal computer software project.
“Those are two commitments we have to follow through on,” Precinct 2 Commissioner Cynthia Long said at the meeting.
Existing projects in the CIP will require the majority of funding in FYs 2026-27 through 2031-32, according to county documents.
The largest priorities within the existing project list include:
- $20.65 million for a new Precinct 4 Annex requested in FY 2026-27
- $14.9 million for the Lake Creek Annex improvements requested in FY 2026-27
- $17 million for technology requested over the next five years
What else?
Commissioners also discussed funding for the recent land purchase for the future Justice Center Complex.
“We haven't closed on [the land purchase] yet but we’re doing our due diligence,” Precinct 3 Commissioner Valerie Covey said. “In order to move on to Phase 3 of that project, we would need some additional funds.”
County officials will bring back an order for tax anticipation notes to fund the land purchase, Kiley said. TANs are short-term debt that allows local entities to finance projects before receiving revenue from taxes.
What they’re saying
County Judge Steve Snell said he wants the county to keep the current Justice Center operational while waiting for the new facility to be built.
“We have a building in a Justice Center that in my opinion is a very good building,” Snell said. “Are we out of space? Yeah, we’re out of space. ... But we’re going to be in that Justice Center for a while, and our population continues to increase at a rapid [rate].”
Snell said he doesn’t want to abandon the building in the future, and that the county should keep the 10 courtrooms as workable as possible.
“I’m saying, we need the new stuff as well, but let’s not throw away the old stuff when it’s perfectly usable,” Snell said.
Looking ahead
New project requests include:
- $13.92 million in FY 2026-27 for equipment, storage structures and security devices
- $4.5 million for radio technology upgrades
- $2.5 million for the future Justice Center
