With all 51 precincts in Williamson County reporting, Jake French held an unofficial lead of 311 votes to 252 for his opponent, Chere Heintzmann, to take the seat opened up by the resignation of Rachael Jonrowe on July 6 due to personal reasons.
“I’m grateful to all of the supporters who helped fund this campaign and gave me insight into running,” French told Community Impact Newspaper. “It’s humbling and I feel very privileged that the people of District 6 elected me to represent them. I’m looking forward to digging in and working with the rest of the council.”
French will join a council that looks to be working with a more streamlined city charter, according to Georgetown Mayor Josh Schroeder, thanks to the apparent passage of nine amendments to the document.
“We’re thrilled with all of our charter amendments getting passed,” Schroeder said. “We had a charter review committee that did a lot of work, and our city attorney did a lot of work to get it cleaned up and in compliance with state law. These [amendments] will help us work smoother and more efficiently.”
Voters also appeared to pass Proposition J, which allows alcohol sales in the parts of the city annexed since 2010 and will functionally allow H-E-B to move into a significantly larger store from the east side of I-35 to the west.
While the city’s amendments on the ballot faced little resistance, the five-proposition bond package presented by Georgetown ISD had a more difficult path.
GISD propositions A and B—$333.4 million for new construction, renovation and vehicles, and $16.5 million for technology, respectively—unofficially passed with more than 56% approval each.
“I’m proud of the citizens’ group who made the recommendation for projects that align with student needs and am grateful for the community’s support of projects that secure the academic future for students in Georgetown ISD,” GISD Superintendent Fred Brent said in a press release. “Propositions A and B will fund important capital projects that accommodate for growth, and support technology and connectivity for engaged learning.”
Propositions C, D and E, however, failed to sway voters. Proposition C asked for $7.3 million to renovate the Klett Performing Arts Center and garnered 45% approval. Proposition D proposed $23.6 million for a new swim center and had about 39% approval. Proposition E asked for $850,000 to renovate the district’s tennis facility at Georgetown High and fell short with 43% approval.
“Our students work hard in fine arts, swimming, and tennis—all being recognized at the state level in recent months—and supporting them is still important,” Brent said in the release. “I do regret that we cannot move forward with these projects at this time. However, the district will continue to explore avenues that meet the needs of our athletics and fine arts programs.”
