Its climbing and zip line adventure course made of wood and telephone poles, considered cutting edge at the time of its creation 20 years ago, can support up to four individuals at once. If Williamson County’s $59 million parks bond is approved by voters in November, a modernized adventure facility allowing up to 100 individuals to participate simultaneously could be on the horizon.
“It’s a tremendous step up from our existing adventure course,” said Jeff Andresen, president and CEO of the YMCA of Central Texas. “It’s a beautiful example of county funding in joint effort with nonprofit fundraising to get a community amenity expanded.”
But the bond doesn’t just propose a new adventure course: Proposition B would fund a variety of trail, mobility and connectivity projects countywide, while the county’s $825 million Proposition A would fund more than 38 transportation projects countywide to better serve its growing population, o fficials said.
The overview
On Nov. 7, voters will decide on two Williamson County bond propositions totaling $884 million.
Proposition A: $825 million for road projects
Proposition B: $59 million for parks projects
The bond amount was whittled down from more than $6 billion in projects submitted by local city governments, county staff and other regional partners.
David Hays chaired the Williamson County Citizens Bond Committee, which met with local stakeholders to consider each project. The committee brought $1.69 billion in road and $78.96 million in parks projects to Commissioners Court, which then determined the final bond amounts. If it passes, the bond would not impact the debt service portion of the tax rate, according to county documents.
Hays said commissioners want to put forward a bond package voters will view favorably.
“I think it’s smart, and I think it’s a good number,” Hays said. “It fits within their budget knowing they’ll need to come back, but it gives them the ability to do things.”
The bond would fund:
- 38 road projects, including right of way acquisition, design and construction projects
- 14 park projects related to shared-use paths, facility improvements and future parkland acquisition
Daigh said a bond is the only mechanism the county has to fund road projects that add capacity and make major safety improvements—meaning the annual road and bridge fund only pays for maintenance and operations of existing roads.
Barring extreme inflation or an unpredictable economic event, Daigh said the funding in the bond would cover the cost of design and construction for most projects, which vary in scope from intersection improvements to completely new roadways.
Additionally, many of the road projects are joint ventures with local city governments. Because of this, funding for them will be split between the county and local cities as well as regional or statewide transportation organizations.
Note: Dollar amounts listed are funds from the bond and do not include any city or partner contributions.
A closer look
Williamson County Parks Director Russell Fishbeck categorized the projects in the parks proposition into three groups: shared-use paths, facilities and land acquisition.
“There’s going to be a great demand for open space, parkland [and] trail systems—places where people can go and get out of the urban environment,” Hays said.
Shared-use paths
- Brushy Creek Regional Trail connection from Cedar Park to Round Rock ($3M)
- Connection from Southwest Williamson County Regional Park to RM 1431/Sam Bass Road ($2.5M)
- Connection from Lakeline Park to Twin Lakes Park, including a pedestrian bridge over Bell Boulevard ($1.8M)
- Connection from Georgetown’s Westside Park to Berry Springs Park ($2.9M)
- Study a connection from River Ranch County Park to San Gabriel Park ($100K)
- Construct a visitors center at Berry Springs Park & Preserve ($2M)
- Construct a cover over the Williamson County Expo Center’s western arena; add showers and restrooms; acquire land for parking and future expansions ($16.7M)
- Construct a zip line and adventure course at Twin Lakes Family YMCA; add parking ($3.9M)
- Acquire land for a future county park or assume responsibility of and renovate park at Granger Lake ($25M)
What they're saying
“The county is adding about 125 people a day, and people are driving here; they’re not walking, so there is significant need,” said Bob Daigh, Williamson County senior director of infrastructure.
“We’re trying to provide linkages and connectivity to more places where people need to get to and where they’re able to recreate,” said Russell Fishbeck, Williamson County parks director.
What's next
Both Daigh and Fishbeck said if the bond passes, work on included projects will be underway shortly. Fishbeck said this is especially true of many of the trails projects because design for them is already in the works.
However, he said if the parks proposition doesn’t pass, it means many of the projects would be delayed, and it may put some of the partner projects in jeopardy. Still, future planning would continue, he said.
Additionally, the county said a 2016 law prevents governing bodies from issuing debt to fund projects included in a bond that was rejected by voters during the previous three years.
“There was $6 billion of need identified of all good projects,” Daigh said. “I think that $6 billion number shows the magnitude of a problem that we would have if the bonds did not pass.”
Did you know?
- The bond represents the largest package ever put before Williamson County voters by nearly double.
- It comes four years after the county’s last $447 million bond in 2019, while previous bonds were six to seven years apart.
- Early voting runs from Oct. 23-Nov. 3, and Election Day is Nov. 7.
