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Council adopts FY2022 budget that focuses on utilities, transportation, public safety
The Georgetown City Council adopted the Fiscal Year 2022 budget Sept. 28. The adopted FY2022 budget totals $483 million and decreases the City’s property tax rate by 1.7 cents.
This is the second year in a row the City has proposed reducing the property tax rate, maintaining the City’s rate as among the lowest of all cities in the Austin area with a population greater than 20,000. Council also voted to increase the homestead exemption to the greater of $5,000 or 3 percent, contributing to $370,000 in additional taxpayer relief. However, because property values in Georgetown increased 15.4 percent, the average homeowner in Georgetown is expected to pay $56 more in property taxes in the upcoming year.
“Residents are going to see significant work toward their priorities in this next fiscal year,” Mayor Josh Schroeder said. “The investment in transportation and water infrastructure, the customer service enhancements, and our continued commitment to public safety afforded in this budget are going to help us tackle the complex challenges facing our constantly growing city.”
The adopted budget did not change from the proposed budget, which is provided online at finance.georgetown.org. The adopted budget book will be available later this year.
City staff used the results of recent public feedback opportunities, including the 2020 resident survey and council goals, to develop the preliminary version of next year’s budget, which spans Oct. 1, 2021, through Sept. 30, 2022.
Major themes of the proposed budget are investing in transportation and utility infrastructure, public safety, and customer services, as well as providing the staffing, equipment, and software needed for record-setting growth and development. Adequately funding those priorities—particularly transportation and water capital improvement projects ($90 million), public safety investments, and staffing and resources needed to maintain service levels during Georgetown’s sustained period of high growth—contributed to the preliminary budget being $87 million (or 18 percent) more than the current fiscal year’s budget of $396 million.
Highlights of the adopted budget include:
- Providing taxpayer relief, despite significant increases to service demand and debt, including Winter Storm Uri and the 2021 mobility bond projects.
- 53 positions, the majority of which are in the fire, water, and electric departments
- One-time start-up costs for a multi-year plan to fund a Police K9 unit
- One of the largest investments in utility infrastructure in the City’s history. This investment includes $49.8 million in water projects ranging from a new pump station to the first phase of construction for the new South Lake Water Treatment Plant.
- Long-range water supply planning, staffing, and resiliency programs to ensure water demands are met in the City’s water service area to meet current and future growth
- Significant investment in transportation, including additional staffing, an Overall Transportation Plan Amendment, a Williams Drive Access Management Plan, a Pavement Condition Index, and additional resources to ensure 2021 mobility bond projects are started within the next five years
- A strong projected electric fund balance of $36.7 million and investments in staffing, technology, and infrastructure to maintain system reliability
- Investment in customer service staffing and programming, including establishing a program to improve intake and response to all customer complaints; improving water and electric outage notifications; and redesigning and organizing the City’s website
For more information, visit finance.georgetown.org.
Georgetown residents invited to share priorities for recreation programs, services
The City of Georgetown invites the community to attend one of a series of workshops in October that will help prioritize parks and recreation facilities, programs, and services as the Parks and Recreation Department plans for the future. Due to limited space, RSVPs to the workshops are requested.
The City has engaged the services of GreenPlay, a nationally renowned parks and recreation management consulting firm, to assist in developing a Cost Recovery Philosophy and Policy based on the community’s values for recreation programs and services.
The workshops involve small-group discussions to collect the community’s input on how each of the facilities, recreation programs, and services benefit the community. Participants in the workshops will examine the various programs and services provided by the City’s Parks and Recreation Department and will provide input on the community benefit verses individual benefit of each program. City staff will use this input to help develop resource allocation and cost recovery options to present to City Council in early 2022.
“A cost recovery policy for parks and recreation programs and services is important to ensure we are good stewards of public funds and are allocating resources appropriately,” Parks and Recreation Director Kimberly Garrett said. “This policy will give the community an understanding of our pricing structure and how our services are categorized based on benefits to the community.”
The workshops will be held at the Parks and Recreation Administration Building, the Public Safety Operations and Training Center, and the Georgetown Public Library. Light refreshments will be available. Please RSVP at gtxparkplan.com. Space is limited to 25 participants per session.
Meeting dates and times are as follows:
- 6:30 to 8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 11, in the Community Room at the Parks and Recreation Administration Building, 1101 N. College St.
- 8:30 to 10 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 12, in Training Room C at Public Safety Operations and Training Center, 3500 D.B. Wood Road
- 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 12, in the Hewlett Room at Georgetown Public Library, 402 W. Eighth St.
Parks and Recreation Master Plan development
The Georgetown Parks and Recreation Department has been working for the last several months to develop a 10-year master plan. When completed, the master plan will create a blueprint for where Georgetown Parks and Recreation can improve, how it can grow responsibly, and what programs and recreational activities the Georgetown community needs. In August, the team presented results from the mailed and open surveys, data collection from facility and park inventories, and other project analysis. More information about the master plan process is available at gtxparkplan.com.
Last day for fixed-route bus service in Georgetown is Sept. 30, 2021
Paratransit services will continue uninterrupted
The fixed-route bus system currently serving Georgetown residents will have its final rides Sept. 30, 2021. City Council during its July 27 meeting directed staff to negotiate a paratransit agreement with Capital Metro, without any provision for fixed-route service. City Council on Sept. 14 approved an interlocal agreement to continue paratransit services only.
“The City of Georgetown remains committed to providing exceptional services where they are needed,” Georgetown Mayor Josh Schroeder said. “The council has been very forward-thinking and proactive with regard to providing some form of public transit to meet our residents’ needs. City Council has given direction to discontinue the current fixed route system as of Oct. 1, 2021, but to continue providing our paratransit services. The current fixed-route system has not produced the expected ridership. As Georgetown continues to grow, so will the need for public transportation. I would expect this issue to be reassessed in the future.”
The City’s paratransit service, which is run by Capital Area Rural Transportation System, or CARTS, as a subcontractor for Capital Metro, currently serves 235 riders. The paratransit service is only available to people with disabilities. Eligibility and screening for paratransit services is provided, through a paper application, by the CARTS.
In the new agreement, the City will have up to two vehicles providing the current, curb-to-curb service from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. Eligible riders will continue to pay $2 per trip and be required to make a reservation 24 hours in advance through the website or by calling 512-478-RIDE (7433).
The cost for continuing the paratransit service is estimated at $271,140. The City would pay $162,684, and the remaining cost would be covered through a match from the Federal Transit Administration. Because the City anticipates the number of qualified riders could increase with the loss of the fixed-route service, the City has committed to set aside an additional $81,342, with the FTA contributing $54,228, which will be used if needed in FY2022.
CARTS’ Interurban Coach bus service between Georgetown and Austin will continue. The bus picks up passengers from two stops in Georgetown, at Eighth and Forest streets and 3620 S. Austin Ave., twice a day Monday through Friday and has several stops on the way to and in Austin, including University Oaks, Tech Ridge Park & Ride, and Austin Greyhound.
History of GoGeo, public transit in Georgetown
The City and Capital Metro launched Georgetown’s fixed-route bus system Aug. 21, 2017. The partnership also included paratransit services in the City. The Georgetown Health Foundation also has provided funding for GoGeo.
GoGeo’s fixed-route service operates four routes with 46 stops that run from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. GoGeo also offered a Saturday service until March 2020, when it was canceled due to the pandemic. Annual average ridership for the fixed-route has ranged from 20,299 in Fiscal Year 2018 to 14,431 in Fiscal Year 2020. The City has spent $1.4 million for both fixed-route and paratransit GoGeo services since its inception. The City also paid $168,031 to install bus stops and other infrastructure. Annual costs for the service averaged $574,552 in local funding. The City’s current contract with Capital Metro expires at the end of September.
Council meeting and agreement materials
July 13 Council Workshop: Video | Presentation
Sept. 14 Council Meeting: Coversheet
ADA Application for Eligibility
For more information about the GoGeo program, visit gogeo.georgetown.org.
City to host household hazardous waste event Oct. 20
The City will host a free household hazardous waste collection event from 3-6 p.m. Oct. 20 at the old show barn site in San Gabriel Park, 425 E. Morrow St.
The event will be available for up to 300 Georgetown solid waste customers who have solid waste service through Texas Disposal Systems. Customers must contact Customer Care at 512-930-3640 or customercare@georgetown.org to have their name placed on a list. Please include your name, address, and utility account number when emailing customer care. Customers must have their name on the list to participate.
Residents must remain in their vehicles during the no-contact collection. Staff will unload items from the back seat or trunk of the vehicle.
All items to be dropped off must be in their marked original containers. Commercial disposal and trailers are not allowed.
Acceptable items include:
- Batteries (household, hearing aids, cell phone, etc.)
- Automobile batteries
- Pool and spa chemicals
- Used oil/oil filters (up to five gallons per vehicle)
- Transmission fluid
- Light bulbs (including regular, compact, and four-foot fluorescent)
- Grease
- Thermometers
- Over the counter, residential lawn and garden chemicals
- Aerosols
- Household cleaners and disinfectants marked caution, warning, or poison
- Art and hobby chemicals
- Paint (up to 10 gallons per vehicle)
- Over the counter one-pound disposal propane bottles
- Gasoline (up to five gallons per vehicle)
Unacceptable items include:
- Unmarked containers or unknown chemicals
- Construction, commercial, or landscape waste
- Professional, concentrated chemicals that require a professional license to mix
- Medications or pharmaceuticals
- Oxygen tanks
- Electronics
- Tires
- Explosives (including ammunition and fireworks)
- Radioactive materials
- Biological materials
Additional household hazardous waste collection events are being planned for 2022.
For more information about the City’s solid waste and recycling services, visit recycle.georgetown.org.
Williamson County will also host a household hazardous waste collection event open to all county residents 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 25 at the Hutto Football Stadium, 573 Chris Kelley Blvd. Find more information by calling 512-759-8881, option 4, or visiting https://bit.ly/3648ZYX.
National Hispanic Heritage Month events in September
The City of Georgetown is hosting several events to honor National Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs Sept. 15-Oct. 15.
Georgetown Public Library
The cultural celebration will include several events from the Georgetown Public Library, 402 W. Eighth St., including an outdoor movie screening, take and make crafts, and a folklorico dance performance.
Events kick off Sept. 24 with a screening of Disney/Pixar’s “Coco.” The PG film follows aspiring young musician Miguel on a journey to the land of his ancestors where he uncovers the mysteries behind his family’s traditions and stories. The film will be shown at dusk on Forest Street between the Library and Light and Water Works building. Crafts and activities for children will be available starting at 7 p.m.
Ballet Folklorico will host a performance at 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 25, in Library’s Hewlett Room. Tickets will be handed out first-come, first-served starting at 1 p.m. that day.
The Library will also have a selection of craft kit takeaways available to celebrate Hispanic heritage, as well as highlighting relevant items in all collections and sharing lists of recommended books, CDs, and films.
For more information, visit library.georgetown.org.
Tuesday Talks with Britin and Ann
Britin and Ann’s Tuesday Talks presentation in September featured the people and places that are part of Georgetown’s Hispanic heritage. Watch the replay on Facebook and find other past presentations at historic.georgetown.org.
Northwest Boulevard Bridge opened
City of Georgetown officials opened a new section of Northwest Boulevard, including a bridge over I-35, today.
The half-mile Northwest Boulevard project extended the road across the interstate with a new bridge spanning I-35 and connecting with Austin Avenue on the east side. The project connects to Rivery Boulevard via a traffic circle to the west. A future section on the east side will connect with FM 971.
The new bridge fulfills a key mobility goal for the City by providing a new east-west connection in the center of Georgetown. The bridge is the first east-west connection over I-35 in decades and provides an alternative to Williams Drive.
The Northwest Boulevard project was approved by Georgetown voters in the 2015 transportation bond election. Northwest Boulevard is the largest transportation project expected to be completed in Georgetown since the Southwest Bypass. The construction cost for the project was $8.2 million.
RPS was the design engineer on the project and Chasco Constructors was the contractor.
City launches performance dashboard
Georgetown residents and ratepayers can now see how the City is performing on key metrics through a public performance management dashboard.
The City of Georgetown launched a public dashboard highlighting a cross-section of performance metrics that provides residents with insights into department operations and services. The dashboard tracks eight different metrics across the City relating to communications, recreation, public safety, utilities, and development. The site is the City’s first iteration of a public-facing performance dashboard and will be updated on a semi-annual basis.
“We’re excited to provide residents an opportunity to see what we’re tracking and why,” City Manager David Morgan said. “This dashboard gives everyone a chance to understand how we’re doing and how we use this information to make decisions and improve City services.”
The metrics within the dashboard are a subset of metrics the City currently tracks internally through its Performance Management Program (PMP). The City’s PMP was established in 2017 to further integrate the City Council and City manager’s strategic planning with operations. The PMP helps staff monitor productivity and performance while identifying trends and patterns to determine whether a service is appropriately resourced.
People can submit questions and comments about the dashboard to ooe@georgetown.org. Find the dashboard at georgetown.org/pmp
Labor Day closings
City of Georgetown offices and facilities will be closed Monday, Sept. 6, for the Labor Day holiday. This includes these locations:
- Airport Terminal and management offices, 500 Terminal Drive
- Animal Shelter, 110 W.L. Walden Drive
- City Hall, 808 Martin Luther King Jr. St.
- Council and Courts Building (including Municipal Court), 510 W. Ninth St.
- Georgetown Art Center, 816 S. Main St.
- Georgetown Municipal Complex, 300-1 Industrial Ave.
- Parks and Recreation Administration, 1101 N. College St.
- Planning Department, 809 Martin Luther King Jr. St.
- Public Library, 402 W. Eighth St.
- Public Safety Operations and Training Center, Police Records and Fire Support Services offices, 3500 D.B. Wood Road
- Recreation Center, 1003 N. Austin Ave.
- Tennis Center, 400 Serenada Drive
The Visitors Center, 103 W. Seventh St., will be open 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Garey Park, 6450 RM 2243, will be open 8 a.m.-8 p.m.
Swimming Pools and Aquatics
The Williams Drive pool at 3201 Williams Drive will be open 1 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 4, through Monday, Sept. 6. Find information at parks.georgetown.org/williams-drive-pool. Other outdoor, seasonal pools have closed for the summer season.
The splash pads at San Jose Park, 1707 San Jose St., Rabbit Hill Park, 1109 Blue Ridge Drive, and at the Art Center, 816 S. Main St., will remain open through September. The splash pad at Garey Park, 6450 RM 2243, will be open through October, weather permitting.
GoGeo bus service
There will be no service Monday, Sept. 6.
Recycling and solid waste
There will be regular recycling and solid waste collection for City of Georgetown customers on Monday, Sept. 6. Please place carts at the curb by 7 a.m. on your scheduled pickup day. For questions, call Texas Disposal Systems at (512) 930-1715.
The Collection Station at 250 W.L. Walden Drive will be open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 6.
Curative COVID-19 Testing Site
The COVID-19 testing site located at 707 South Martin Luther King Jr. Street (near the City of Georgetown Library) will be closed on Monday, Sept. 6 in observance of Labor Day.
COVID-19 testing by appointment only. To schedule an appointment, click here.
Breakfast Bites: Lets Get Social
The Breakfast Bites meeting Sept. 9 will feature Rachel Hancock, owner of Something Social/Arkay Artwork, presenting on “Let’s Get Social.” The informal meeting opens at 8:45 a.m. on the patio behind 309 Coffee at 309 S. Main St. The presentation will start at 9 a.m.
Social media can be a powerful tool for reaching new customers, but what platforms and tools are the most effective for your audience? Learn from Hancock in a special, hands-on program in which you are encouraged to bring your own device and follow along for tips, tricks, and new skills you can apply to your own social media accounts.
At the Sept. 9 program, there will also be updates from City staff on a variety of topics, as well as updates from downtown partner organizations and new businesses in the downtown district that have opened or are under construction.
Breakfast Bites is a quarterly meeting of the Georgetown Main Street Program. Limited seating is available. If you plan to attend, please RSVP by 5 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 8, online at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/main-street-breakfast-bites-lets-get-social-tickets-167765227311.
Participants are encouraged to wear a mask or face covering and maintain physical distancing of at least six feet. Hand sanitizer will also be available for attendees.
Animal Shelter joins Clear the Shelters event
The City of Georgetown Animal Shelter is teaming up with KXAN for the sixth annual Clear the Shelters pet adoption drive Aug. 23 through Sept. 19. Clear The Shelters is an annual national adoption event spearheaded by NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations.
This year, the campaign will combine a month-long virtual adoption campaign, with a single-day adoption celebration on Sept. 18.
During the entire event, the shelter, 110 W.L. Walden Drive, will reduce and even waive adoption fees. Dogs age 7 months or older may be adopted for $15 (medium to large size breeds only), while cats age 7 months or older may be adopted free of charge.
“This campaign couldn’t come at a better time,” Animal Services Manager April Haughey said. “Our small shelter has been overflowing with dogs and cats for the last month. We hope this campaign will reach potential adopters and truly clear the shelter.”
To see the list of available pets and learn how to adopt, visit pets.georgetown.org. The shelter is operating primarily by appointment, with adoption applications required in advance. This process ensures staff assistance and one-to-one interactions with animals.
For more information about the Clear the Shelters adoption drive, visit kxan.com/clear-the-shelters/.
The City of Georgetown Animal Shelter is the open-intake municipal shelter for Georgetown and has been serving the community since the 1970s. It recently celebrated its fifth consecutive year of achieving a live outcome rate above 90 percent, which means it is considered a no-kill shelter.
