The FM 971 roadway expansion and realignment project was dedicated today with officials from the City of Georgetown, Texas Department of Transportation, and Chasco Constructors.

The project involved expanding FM 971 to four lanes from Austin Avenue to Gann Street with turn lanes, sidewalks, and a pedestrian underpass at Austin Avenue. The new roadway aligns FM 971 with Northwest Boulevard, providing a new east-west crossing over I-35.

The $7 million project was managed by the Texas Department of Transportation and funded by the 2008 City of Georgetown road bond. Engineering design was funded by the Georgetown Transportation Enhancement Corporation. RPS was the design engineer on the project, and Chasco Constructors was the contractor.

The road remained open with temporary closures during the construction process.

The City is seeking funding to expand FM 971 to four lanes from Gann Street to the SH 130.

The City of Georgetown is initiating a new platform to receive quick, regular feedback from its residents. Georgetown residents can now sign up for FlashVote, a survey tool that allows residents to have a voice in city government through text, email, or voice responses.

“I encourage all our residents to sign up,” City Manager David Morgan said. “It only takes one minute, about once a month, to help make our city better.”

FlashVote is a public survey research platform used to recruit a panel of residents representative of the entire community to answer short surveys.  Starting today, residents may receive a text message from FlashVote with a chance to sign up.

FlashVote is designed to gather feedback within 48 hours, allowing City government to quickly get useful and statistically valid information from residents. The City plans to continue other outreach and survey efforts, such as community town halls, online surveys, and the biannual resident survey administered by Texas State University.

“FlashVote is a tool the City is using to enhance, not replace, our current public engagement efforts,” said Aly Van Dyke, communications and public engagement director.  “We know folks are busy, and we want to make engaging with the City quick and easy.”

Sign-up takes less than one minute, and survey data is anonymous. Residents can also sign up at flashvote.com/georgetowntx or call 775-235-2240 to participate by phone. Personal or demographic information collected by FlashVote is never shared with the City or anyone else.

When residents sign up, they can determine how they want to participate in surveys with options for text, email, or phone call. They will receive a notification whenever there is a new survey, and they will have 48 hours to participate before voting closes. Once a survey is closed, everyone who participated will automatically receive a summary of the overall results and be able to see how their responses compare to the group.

Responses from FlashVote surveys will be used to inform City decisions on services, programs, and initiatives.

“We’re very excited to use the input collected in these surveys to inform decision making at the City in ways that serve our residents better,” Morgan said.

The first surveys will be sent once the number of people who have signed up is large enough and includes a cross section of the community. Look for the first surveys to start later this year.

Join your friends and neighbors and sign up today at flashvote.com/georgetowntx.

Georgetown is the fastest-growing city in the U.S. for cities with a population above 50,000, according to data released today by the U.S. Census Bureau. Georgetown’s growth rate was 10.5 percent from July 1, 2020, through July 1, 2021, resulting in a population estimate of 75,420.

“Georgetown continues to attract new residents for the same reasons many of us moved here — good jobs, safe neighborhoods, and unbeatable parks and events,” Mayor Josh Schroeder said. “But all those things may not be as important as the sense of community you feel when families gather on a Saturday afternoon on our Courthouse lawn or dance in the street at our annual Red Poppy Festival. People don’t just move here: They fall in love with this town.”

This is the second time in the past seven years that Georgetown has been ranked the fastest-growing city in the U.S. Georgetown was the seventh fastest-growing city in the U.S. on the list released in 2020 and in 2019 by the Census. In 2018, Georgetown was the sixth fastest-growing city in the U.S., fifth in 2017, the fastest in 2016, and the second-fastest in 2015.

Georgetown’s population was 67,176 in the 2020 census. According to today’s estimate, Georgetown added 8,244 residents since 2020.

The news release from the Census about the fastest-growing cities in the U.S. is at census.gov.

The Georgetown Cultural Citizen Memorial Association will host the 70^th annual Juneteenth celebration in Georgetown Saturday, June 18, at the Georgetown Community Center, 445 E. Morrow St., in San Gabriel Park. The theme for this free, community event is “Continuing to Share the Journey of Juneteenth and Freedom.”

Juneteenth event schedule

The event starts at 11 a.m. with a special program featuring guest speaker Dr. Malissa Sanon, director of Student and Inclusion and Diversity at Southwestern University. The special program concludes at noon and is followed by a Juneteenth Festival until 3 p.m.

Festivities from noon to 3 p.m. include live entertainment by DJ Eric Sampson, Smooth, and EZ Dance of Texas, as well as vendor booths, youth activities, a silent auction, bingo, barbecue, and more.

Juneteenth Children’s Event

GCCMA has partnered with the Georgetown Public Library to offer a self-guided story walk June 12 through 19 in the Children’s Room of the Library, 402 W. Eighth St. Youth will learn why Juneteenth is celebrated in Texas, featuring the book, “Opal Lee and What it Means to be Free,” by Alice Faye Duncan, as well as arts and crafts. 

Juneteenth history

Juneteenth marks the day on June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers landed at Galveston and reported that the Civil War was over and slavery had ended. The Emancipation Proclamation freeing the slaves had been in effect since January 1, 1863, but word did not reach Texas for more than two years. Juneteenth was declared an official state holiday in Texas in 1980.

Contact information

For more information, please contact Alma Allen-Johnson at JohnsonAlma2000@yahoo.com.

GCCMA’s mission is to educate, preserve, and celebrate African American history and culture. For more information, visit gccmatx.org.

The City of Georgetown is now accepting applications from eligible nonprofit agencies for Strategic Partnerships for Community Services grant funding for the City’s 2022-23 Fiscal Year, which begins Oct. 1, 2022.

Application forms and supplemental materials should be filled out and submitted no later than 5 p.m. June 8, 2022. Funding decisions will be made by the City Council in compliance with the policy and funding guidelines subject to the availability of funds. Grants will be awarded in a range from $10,000 to $50,000.

The Strategic Partnerships for Community Services Advisory Board, which is appointed by City Council, will review the applications received. The board will then make funding recommendations to City Council for potential approval in the 2022-23 Fiscal Year.

Applications, supplemental materials, and more information is on the City website at government.georgetown.org/city-management/strategic-partnerships-for-community-services-grant-funding.

For questions, contact Shirley Rinn in the City Manager’s Office at shirley.rinn@georgetown.org or 512-930-3723.

Final unofficial results as of 10 p.m. by the Williamson County Elections Department for the City of Georgetown election.
27 of 27 polling locations reporting:

To see complete May 7 election results, go to wilco.org/elections.

Votes will be canvassed at a special City Council meeting at 6 p.m. Monday, May 16. During that meeting, newly-elected city council members will be sworn in.