Several changes are underway for Williamson County as officials prepare to transition into a new headquarters building, which finishes construction in 2025.

“I believe that we’re about to have the most substantive discussion in Williamson County history to what our future looks like in providing essential county services,” County Judge Bill Gravell said before a Dec. 17 commissioners court workshop.

The action taken

Commissioners agreed to look into relocating the county’s Jail and Justice Center functions from downtown Georgetown to a potential new facility by 2030.

At the meeting, commissioners received two presentations regarding:

• Hiring a program manager to help coordinate the county’s interim facilities plan
• Adding a new court with freed-up facility space

Commissioners agreed to begin soliciting for the program manager, who will help the county regulate growth. According to a staff presentation, the county could have 16 possible facility relocations over the next five years.

Commissioners said they will take action on moving forward with adding a new Williamson County state district court in mid-January.

The court also discussed repurposing the Williamson County Courthouse once staff moves into the new headquarters, and creating a request for proposal to list and sell all county properties in downtown Georgetown.

A closer look

In 2026, county departments plan on moving into two new buildings: the new headquarters and the 28-acre Lake Creek Annex building, according to the presentation. Departments also expect to begin moving into the new Juvenile Justice Center in 2027, per the presentation.



These new facilities will eventually house county departments, which creates more space in downtown buildings, Precinct 3 Executive Assistant Rachel Arnold said.

Arnold and County Architect Trent Jacobs presented an interim plan that focuses on handling the Jail and Justice Center’s future vacated space, which the program manager would take over when hired.

The proposed plan to rearrange the Jail and Justice Center includes:

• Relocating 24 employees in the criminal and probate divisions of the County Clerk’s office in from the second floor to the basement
• Moving the Community Supervision and Corrections Department, pretrial services and the Attorney General judge from the first floor to the basement
• Remodeling CSCD, pre-trial and AG judge offices into a new courtroom by 2027
• Transforming the County Clerk’s criminal division on the second floor into a conference room for the District Attorney’s office
• Moving 17 County Attorney staff into the north side of the second floor

Sheriff’s Office staff could also move into available space created from department vacancies, Arnold said.

Also on the agenda

The rearranged Jail and Justice Center space and the new Juvenile Justice Center could allow for two new courts in Williamson County, Arnold said. Once a third new court is needed, the county will need a new Jail and Justice Center to house it, which commissioners unanimously approved starting a planning process for.



At the meeting, commissioners provided direction on starting a new district court versus a statutory probate court first. District Attorney Shawn Dick and 26th Judicial District Court Judge Donna King gave commissioners a presentation on the benefits of adding a seventh district court.

It’s been 35 years since Williamson County added a court that handles criminal felony jurisdiction, Dick said. The county has experienced a 432% increase in population since 1989 and a 327% increase in inmate population since 1992, according to their presentation.

John McMasters, County Court at Law No. 4 Judge, thanked commissioners for including him in the discussion to add a statutory probate court. McMasters said his courts are currently handling dockets efficiently.

“We will need [a statutory probate court]—I don't doubt,” McMasters said. “We don't need it now.”

Commissioners will take action on making a recommendation for a new district court on Jan. 14, and could consider adding a statutory probate court at a later date, Gravell said.

Items worth mentioning

In the future, commissioners plan on vacating the Williamson County Courthouse in the center of Georgetown’s historic square, where officials currently meet for commissioners court meetings. Arnold said one option is to relocate The Williamson Museum into the building.“Right now, the museum is in a building that is undersized,” Covey said. “The county is going to have to air and heat the building—we might as well use it.”

Covey said the museum might not take up the entire courthouse. She reached out to the city of Georgetown and suggested city staff might use the building as their visitors center, she said, which currently operates on the downtown square.

The courthouse could either be leased or sold to the city, commissioners said, but no decision was made at the meeting.

“This building is the center of Williamson County, Texas, and it has been in that capacity for the last 112 years,” Gravell said. “There may be a day that the city takes that over and manages it, but this building will always be the epicenter of Williamson County, Texas, and we have to be thoughtful.”