Voters approved a bond package to fund road and park projects in Williamson County.
The overview
With one out of 65 precincts outstanding, Proposition A received 62.26% of votes supporting the measure, while Proposition B passed with 59.94% of votes cast in favor.
The two bond proposals totaled $884 million, the largest bond proposal brought to voters in Williamson County. Of that, $825 million is designated for road projects and the remaining $59 million for parks projects.
What they’re saying
“I think the voters have overwhelmingly confirmed the direction that we're going here in Williamson County,” County Judge Bill Gravell said. “I think our residents want roads so they can be home with their families in time for dinner, and parks so
they can enjoy their leisure time together outdoors.”
Trimmed down from an original $6 billion in identified projects, the Williamson County Citizens Bond Committee submitted a list to Williamson County Commissioners Court for the final bond amounts to be determined.
“There was $6 billion of need identified of all good projects,” Bob Daigh, senior director of infrastructure for Williamson County, previously told Community Impact. “I think that $6 billion number shows the magnitude of a problem that we would have if the bonds did not pass.”
What's next?
County officials have said that with the voter-approval, work on the listed projects will begin quickly.
Commissioners Court will certify the election results Monday, Nov. 13 and select an engineer to begin the design process for projects by the end of the year, Gravell said.
"I think our residents are proud of where we're going and what we've done, but I also thinks they expect us to get this work done," Gravell said.
Posted 7:16 p.m. Nov. 7
Early voting results for a Williamson County bond package show support for both Proposition A and Proposition B.
For Proposition A, 65.43% of early voters approved the measure and 61.12% approved Proposition B.
The two bond proposals totaling $884 million, if approved by voters, would designated $825 million for road projects and the remaining $59 million for parks projects.
In total, 23,881 early voters in Williamson County supported Proposition A, while 12,615 were against it. The vote breakdown for Proposition B saw similar early results with 22,313 early votes for and 14,195 against.
On the ballot
If it passes, the bond would not impact the debt service portion of the tax rate, according to county documents. However, the city states that due to increases in property values, property owners might see an increase in their tax bill.
Proposition A would be used to fund road projects including construction, land acquisition, expansion and improvements for 38 road projects within the county. The full list of projects can be found here.
Bob Daigh, senior director of infrastructure for Williamson County, previously told Community Impact, that issuing bonds has become the only way to fund new road projects that add capacity or address major safety improvements. The annual county road budget only pays for maintenance and operations of existing roads.
“The county is adding about 125 people a day, and people are driving here; they’re not walking, so there is significant need,” Daigh said.
City documents state the number of vehicles within the county have increased 41.3% over the past 10 years.
Proposition B funds would be designated for park projects that contribute to the county’s overall vision of connectivity, which city officials feel will increase mobility for walkers, hikers and bikers.
The park's bond would make the way for more shared-use paths, facilities and land acquisition.
The $59 million proposed county park projects include:
- Trail extension from Cedar Park Lakeline Park to Twin Lakes Park
- Regional Park trail extension south toward Brushy Creek Regional Trail
- Trail extension from Berry Springs Park and Preserve north and west toward Georgetown Westside Park along Berry Creek
- Trail extension south and east along Brushy Creek near Sam Bass Road
- Williamson County Expo Center improvements, including cover on west arena with restrooms and showers
More details
In early voting, there were 37,400 ballots cast countywide, which represents 8.91% of Williamson County's 419,725 registered voters.
Since 2000, Williamson County has held 5 bond elections, which includes this year’s election. In prior elections, voters approved road bond packages, resulting in 206 road projects that added 368 miles of new lane capacity. The park bonds previously approved by county voters acquired 4,843 acres of parklands and 52 miles of trails.
This year’s bond package is the largest ever brought to voters by Williamson County, by close to double.
What’s next?
Totals from ballots cast Nov. 7 have yet to be released. Polls closed at 7 p.m., although voters who were in line at 7 p.m. were still able to cast ballots.
Results will be updated throughout the night Nov. 7 as election day results are reported, and are unofficial until canvassed.
Visit communityimpact.com/voter-guide/election-results to see results from all local elections in your community.
