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Williamson County commissioners voted 3-2 to utilize $2 million in American Rescue Plan Act interest funds for the Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter expansion at an Aug. 11 meeting.
Precinct 1 Commissioner Terry Cook and Precinct 2 Commissioner Cynthia Long voted against.
What happened
Director of Animal Services Misty Valenta presented the proposal to commissioners at the meeting, saying that the additional $2 million will allow:
The expansion project is projected to cost $3.7 million, partially funded through a combination of Georgetown funds and resident donations, totaling $1.7 million. The ARPA interest funding would fill the $2 million gap, Valenta said.
“I want to build this building for many, many years,” Valenta said.
Digging deeper
In August 2025, commissioners approved the original $1.17 million expansion, with plans to:
This plan was “value-engineered” to fit with the allocated budget, Valenta said. The use of additional funds will make it a more sustainable upgrade, she said.
“With that value-engineering, we're going to have to do maintenance every 10 years,” Valenta said. “So by going with the higher quality material, that makes the building last for 30 years. ... So it's really just a fiscally responsible effort [by] investing now.”
Georgetown’s current shelter near San Gabriel Park will be used to accommodate animals during the construction of the expanded WCRAS, according to previous Community Impact reporting. Construction is anticipated to begin next year, according to county documents.
In case you missed it
The Georgetown Animal Shelter merged with the county shelter last July, making the WCRAS campus at 1855 SE Inner Loop the centralized location for shelter services in the county.
