Here are five things you may have missed from the Williamson County Commissioners Court in January.
  1. 16 Williamson County elected officials sworn into office Jan. 1
Sixteen elected officials in Williamson County were sworn into office on Jan. 1. The Commissioners Court added County Judge Bill Gravell and Precinct 4 Commissioner Russ Boles. Precinct 2 Commissioner Cynthia Long was re-elected. Also sworn in were:
  • KT Musselman—justice of the peace, Precinct 1
  • Edna Staudt—justice of the peace, Precinct 2
  • Evelyn McLean—justice of the peace, Precinct 3
  • Stacy Hackenberg—justice of the peace, Precinct 4
  • Brandy Hallford—judge, County Court at Law 1
  • Laura Barker—judge, County Court at Law 2
  • Doug Arnold—judge, County Court at Law 3
  • John McMaster—judge, County Court at Law 4
  • Scott Heselmeyer—treasurer
  • Nancy Rister—county clerk
  • Lisa David—district clerk
  • Rick Kennon—judge, 368th District Court
  • Stacey Mathews—judge, 227th District Court
2. Williamson County Commissioners Court approves full-time employee to oversee Veterans Treatment, DWI courts The Williamson County Commissioners Court approved the creation of a new full-time employee to oversee Veterans Treatment Court and DWI/Drug Court dockets Jan. 8. The approval would remove two part-time employees—a coordinator for the Veterans Treatment Court and a coordinator for the DWI/Drug Court—and combine them into one position. Read more here. 3. Williamson County Sheriff’s Office to re-evaluate its physical fitness tests The Williamson County Sheriff’s Office will hire consulting firm Stanard and Associates Inc. to build a physical fitness test for potential field officers and corrections employees. The $47,000 agreement was signed off by the Williamson County Commissioners Court during a meeting Jan. 15. County Judge Bill Gravell and Precinct 4 Commissioner Russ Boles were not present. Read more here. 4. Court approves 8 Emergency Services District board members in January The court also approved eight Emergency Services District board member appointments during two meetings. The two-year term will go through Dec. 31, 2020:
  • Anne Cano, Hutto ESD No. 3
  • James Crabtree, Liberty Hill ESD No. 4
  • Dan Clark, Liberty Hill ESD No. 4
  • James Baker, Liberty Hill ESD No. 4
  • George Hill, Cedar Park ESD No. 11
  • Jason Willis, Cedar Park ESD No. 11
  • Barbara Keese, Cedar Park ESD No. 11
  • Judy Lawler Pokorny, Cedar Park ESD No. 12
5. New Williamson County program looks to help young adults charged with a felony A new Williamson County program will provide an alternative to incarceration for emerging adults charged with a felony. During a Commissioners Court meeting Jan. 22, the court voted to partner with Lone Star Justice Alliance to bring the program to Williamson County, the second county in Texas to do so. The program will create a docket devoted to 17- to 24-year-olds who have committed low-level offenses, diverting them away from a path of incarceration and repeated crimes and into a service-based system with programs geared toward improving health and mental health. This is similar to what the county is currently doing with its drug and veterans court. Read more here. The Williamson County Commissioners Court meets every Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. in the Commissioners Courtroom, 710 Main St., Georgetown.