Here are some news items to know about this week in Georgetown.

1. Williams Drive study gets green light


Georgetown City Council members voted last week to accept the Williams Drive Corridor Study and adopt plans for initial improvements over the next four years to the heavily traveled roadway. Initial work will include projects to address traffic congestion, bicycle and pedestrian safety, and roadway aesthetics. The study, which was developed over the course of 18 months by the city and the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, will likely play a role in the city’s planning for its fiscal year 2017-18 budget. Read about other Georgetown transportation updates here



2. County burn ban on 


High heat and dry summer weather compelled the Williamson County Commissioners Court to enact a countywide burn ban last week, which could last for up to 90 days. The ban stipulates that a person cannot burn any combustible material outside of an enclosure that contains all flames. It also prohibits the burning of household yard waste, including leaves, grass, brush and trimmings. Read more here.



3. Downtown Lowdown offers city updates


The city of Georgetown hosts its quarterly Downtown Lowdown meeting at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday to provide updates on city projects and events. Wednesday’s meeting takes place at Roots Bistro, 118 W. Eighth St. City staff will have updates to share on a variety of projects, including the recent historic resource survey, the Austin Avenue bridges project, the new downtown development manager and downtown sales tax trends. Coffee and breakfast snacks will be available. Those who plan to attend are asked to RSVP by 5 p.m. Tuesday to Jackson Daly at 512-819-3115 or [email protected], according to the city.



4. Legislative special session starts


The 85th Texas Legislature will begin a special session Tuesday. Gov. Greg Abbott called for the special session July 10, spurred largely by lawmakers failure to pass “sunset” legislation during this year’s 140-day regular session that without passage could shut down government agencies, including the Texas Medical Board, which licenses doctors across the state. Lawmakers are also expected to return to several controversial issues, including a so-called “bathroom bill” that seeks to restrict which bathrooms transgender Texans can use. Read more here.



5. Georgetown's Main Street Program gets national recognition


Georgetown’s Main Street Program has received accreditation through the 2017 Main Street America program from the National Main Street Center, a nonprofit subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The annual accreditation program evaluates cities’ commitment to historic preservation as well as economic development and revitalization in their downtown cores. In the past decade, Georgetown’s Main Street Program has seen economic reinvestment of $53.5 million in private and public projects, which has brought a net gain of 40 businesses and 320 new jobs, according to the city.