Williamson County, Texas

Today the power pole was drilled and installed to allow Pedernales Electric Cooperative to power the Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon. Wilco staff dug new post holes for a 40-MPH sign north of Neenah,  a new "School Zone” sign for northbound traffic, "School Zone" signs across from Elsa England Elementary, and another "School Zone" sign for the southbound lane farther down past Elsa England. They will install temporary signage while the concrete cures for the new locations of the signs.  Then they’ll return and move the  signs to their permanent poles.

Mastec is installing the power pole and the pedestrian "flashing" beacon.

To help voters become acquainted with the new system, the Willialmson County Elections Department has been hosting open houses where voters can stop by and use the new system to cast votes for a fictional election in the Land of Oz.  For more information on the new voting system, log onto http://www.wilco.org/Departments/Elections

To test drive online, go tohttp://tinyurl.com/y2hpc69z

Today Commissioner Cook delivered several packets of school supplies to the Williamson County Juvenile Services for their high school students in preparation for the 2019-2020 school year.

If you are interested in helping out local students this school year, the Juvenile Justice Center is still accepting school supply donations! Contact 512-943-3202 for more information.

Or select a school to donate school supplies to help all children be adequately prepared for a successful school year.

Contact your school district for information.

She wants every school child to succeed, and school supplies are one of the tools to encourage children to do well academically.

Emergency Services Districts fill a critical need for adequate and fast responses to fires and other emergencies.

ESDs are political subdivisions of the state created by voters to provide or support local emergency medical services, ambulance services and rural fire prevention and control services.

Texas has more than 300 ESDs covering 89 counties, with 12 in Williamson County. They can serve both incorporated portions of cities and unincorporated areas of counties.

A Commissioners Court appoints five members to an ESD Board (also called Commissioners) to serve staggered, two-year terms.

ESD boards report their district’s administration and financial condition to their Commissioners Court. Under the Texas Constitution, ESDs may levy a tax rate of no more than 10 cents per $100 of property value but they may also levy a sales and use tax for additional funding.

ESDs follow one of three models: they contract with a fire or ambulance service provider, provide services directly, or contract with a municipality to provide services.

Texas citizens can petition their county to hold an election to create an ESD. The petition must describe the boundaries of the proposed ESD and the services it will provide, among other requirements.

https://www.kxan.com/top-stories/williamson-county-austin-move-forward-with-traffic-safeguards-in-busy-area-near-round-rock-isd-schools/

by: Will DuPree

Posted: Jun 19, 2019 / 08:48 PM CDT / Updated: Jun 19, 2019 / 08:50 PM CDT

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WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — A joint project between the City of Austin and Williamson County may help address some long-standing traffic and safety concerns near several schools in the north Austin area.

The Austin City Council approved an agreement Wednesday with Williamson County to potentially add new safeguards along Pearson Ranch Road, which runs by three Round Rock Independent School District school buildings. The proposal now needs approval from the Williamson County Commissioners Court, which may vote on it in early July.

The plan came together after months-long discussions between Terry Cook, the county commissioner for precinct one, and Jimmy Flannigan, the City Council member for district six.

School leaders, parents, and city/county officials helped formulate the proposed fixes to deal with safety issues for vehicles and pedestrians alike near Patsy Sommer Elementary School, Elsa England Elementary School and Pearson Ranch Middle School.

“What we have, unfortunately, with two of those schools [Elsa England and Pearson Ranch] is that Round Rock ISD built them on one side of a very busy street,” Flannigan explained. “All of the kids that attend that school are on the other side of that very busy street, so you have kids crossing and having kind of a traffic nightmare. The more unsafe it is to cross the street, the more parents put their kids in cars and make the traffic nightmare worse, so we have evolved a series of improvements in partnership with Williamson County, which will hopefully address most, if not all, of these concerns.”