GEORGETOWN – Though not as hard hit as Central Texas by the July 4 weekend floods, Williamson County is now in “long-term recovery” phase, officials said.
That was the word during the Williamson County Commissioners Court meeting July 22 in which officials also heard updates on the region’s economic status and a proposed jail project.
Bruce Clements, director of emergency management, apprised the court on the state of the county after the devastating floods that occurred July 5.
“We’re in long-term recovery now,” Clements said.
The Disaster Recovery Center has set up its third office in Georgetown, with one in Kerrville and another in San Angelo.
The Georgetown DRC, 3189 S.E. Inner Loop, is open through Aug. 10.
Porter noted that people from outside Williamson County have been using the local DRC location, too.
“The DRC has registered 120 families for Federal Emergency Management Agency and received 13 applications for Small Business Administration loans,” Porter said.
He told commissioners the DRC made a difference in the lives of many, including services such as food and housing referrals.
“There was one woman who had been not only displaced by the flood but who was also a victim of domestic violence. She left with the resources to move forward and a safety plan,” Porter said.
The floods, said to have created a wall of water almost 50 feet high in some locations along the Guadalupe River after torrential rains swamped Kerr County, are blamed for more than 130 deaths, including children at summer camps.
In Williamson County, the San Gabriel River overflowed its banks and claimed three lives in the Liberty Hill area.
In other business, commissioners received the latest information on the county’s economic milestones.
“Williamson County is well-positioned going forward,” said Dave Porter, executive director of Williamson County Economic Development.
The county outperformed national, state and local regional economic development metrics, officials said.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Williamson County is in the top 10 counties in the country for job growth.
In terms of median income, the county ranked fifth out of all 254 Texas counties and in the state’s top 10 for overall wealth.
Porter also addressed the building of a University of Texas satellite campus in Taylor.
“This is early on. They have five years to break ground,” he said.
Porter mentioned UT’s J.J. Pickle Research Campus in Austin and added that UT wants to do something similar in Taylor.
The site will include high-tech programs that can feed into jobs at the emerging Samsung Austin Semiconductor and related facilities, officials have said.
“They’re talking about doing an advanced manufacturing research center in Taylor,” Porter said.
Later in the meeting, commissioners approved Kitchell Construction Management to move forward with phase one of the county’s jail/justice program, which will include a detailed analysis of a 30-day plan and a 120-day plan.
During the July 15 session, Williamson County Judge Steven Snell and Precinct 3 Commissioner Valerie Covey disagreed over the purchase of land for the project, which the commissioners voted against, but all agreed to begin the next steps for the jail/justice complex project.
The next Commissioners Court is 9:30 a.m. Tuesday at 710 S. Main St.
