Williamson County residents concerned with rising housing costs will have a chance to make their voices heard later this month at a public hearing held during a Commissioners Court meeting. Williamson County commissioners voted Tuesday to hold a public hearing regarding the need for a regional housing authority to provide affording living options for residents. The public hearing for the proposal is set for 10 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 27 at the Williamson County Courthouse. According to the Census Bureau’s 2017 American Community Survey, the median household income in Williamson County is $75,935, and the median home value in the area is $209,400. Housing authorities provide rental housing below average rental rates for eligible low-income families, the elderly or people with disabilities. Williamson County was approached by Texas Housing Foundation, a housing authority out of Marble Falls that already operates properties in Georgetown, Round Rock and Liberty Hill. “The needs here are great,” THF CEO Mark Mayfield said. “The price of housing is just going through the roof, but the wages aren’t.” Creating a formal partnership with the county will streamline the process, he said, and allow the housing authority to expand their ability to provide affordable options for Williamson County residents. THF is not government-funded and is a public body involved in residential real estate to meet the needs of the workforce, he said. “Most of the people we house are people who work in the retail establishments and work in restaurants or work in schools,” Mayfield said. “They’re necessary, vibrant parts of the community, but they can’t buy the [expensive] homes.”