Precinct 1

Lisa Birkman, Commissioner Precinct 1

Commissioner Lisa Birkman is a native Texan whose family first settled in Williamson County six generations ago. Her family located here in about 1851, when Commissioner Birkman's ancestors founded the town of Bagdad, located just north of present day Leander. They lived on the family farm which is still owned by her family today. Mrs. Birkman was born, however, on the army base at Ft. Hood, Texas, as her father, Marvin Lackey, was a career military officer. She spent most of her early years on Army bases throughout the world. After retirement, the family moved back to her father's hometown of Georgetown, where Mrs. Birkman along with her sister, Nancy, mother, Ann, and father lived in the Precinct One section of old Georgetown while she attended Georgetown High School. After graduating from GHS in 1978, Commissioner Birkman then graduated from Texas A & M University in 1982. She taught public elementary school for thirteen years, mainly in Austin and Round Rock schools.

Prayers for Ft. Hood

By Williamson County Commissioner Lisa Birkman

The terrible tragedy that occurred on November 5th at Fort Hood, which borders Williamson County to the north, hit very close to home for many county residents. Williamson County is home to more than 50,000 veterans, many of whom served or trained at Fort Hood, including my father, Marvin Lackey. He is a retired colonel who served multiple tours there. I was born at Darnall Army Hospital on the base at Ft. Hood, where the man charged in the crimes by the military as the shooter worked and also where many of the wounded were treated. I lived on base as a child for several years, and as an adult, I visit the base on occasion. My parents, like many retired military members, go there regularly still. Quite a few county citizens work in Killeen and/or are the spouses of active duty military members based out of Ft. Hood. For all of us, Ft. Hood has always been a safe place. For one of our own Army officers to commit this terrible act, is quite frankly, unthinkable.

Since the tragedy, a discussion has started voicing concern for the mental health of the military men and women who are on active duty or who are veterans. Williamson County, and the USA in general, has seen an increase in the amount of mental health crisis calls involving the military as more and more cases of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder are being diagnosed. Because we have such close ties to Ft. Hood, the county’s Mobile Outreach Team of mental health counselors and Sheriff’s Crisis Intervention Team report that more and more often these days, they are called to the scene of a veteran or active duty military member in a mental health crisis. Dr. Kathryn Kotrla, associate dean and professor of psychiatry at the Texas A & M Health Science Center in Round Rock, serves on the county’s Mental Health Task Force along with me and many others. She has worked hard on the issue of caring for the mental health of the military and their families for years and recommends folks visit www.texvet.com, a website with a wealth of information and resources. We have also worked with her and Congressman John R. Carter to apply for a federal grant for a veteran’s peer counseling program. We hope we will be awarded that in the coming months. Additionally, the county now has a website, www.wilcomentalhealth.org with information on local resources.

Many folks in the county have been involved in the Adopt-a-Unit program with Ft. Hood. Commissioner Valerie Covey has led that effort for the county and says it has been the most rewarding part of her job so far. She recently spearheaded the donation of cookies to the soldiers and their families at Ft. Hood for Veteran’s Day. These sort of small gestures mean a lot to those that serve all of us. I attended several Veteran’s Day events recently, and at each one, I was told how much it means to the vets and their families to be acknowledged and remembered. The mother of Matthew Morris of Cedar Park, who was killed in Iraq, summed it up by saying, “Having Matthew remembered helps just a bit to heal the hole in my heart.” Please pray for all of those affected by the tragedy at Ft. Hood and when you see a member of the military, take the time to thank him or her for their service. A little kindness can heal a heart, at least a little bit.

County Update Meeting

Road Plan: How do we pay for it?

Road Plan: How do we pay for it?
By Williamson County Commissioner Lisa Birkman

After months of public input and discussion, Williamson County recently adopted an updated version of our Long Term Transportation Plan (LTTP). The LTTP is a comprehensive look at what needs to be done to over the next twenty-five years to adequately provide for the transportation needs of county citizens. The plan covers the building of about 100 miles of additional roads, plus adding lanes to about 250 miles of existing roads. It also includes approximately $280 million in 2009 prices for “bottleneck” projects, which aim to improve intersections that are now causing or are projected to cause traffic to bottleneck, causing congestion. Additionally, the LTTP calls for the implementation of additional mass transit projects, such as possibly fixed route bus service and/or more commuter rail lines. The estimated cost, should it all be funded, would be approximately $2.2 billion, if built today. It is contemplated that city, county, regional, state and federal government(s) will pay the costs. So, the question is, “How do we pay for all these needed transportation improvements?”