The Texas Department of State Health Services and Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are closely monitoring an outbreak of respiratory illness caused by a novel (new) coronavirus first identified in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. The risk in Texas is low, and there are no confirmed cases in Williamson County. The simple steps you can take to remain healthy are: wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds; do not touch your eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands; cover your cough with a tissue and throw the tissue in the trash; and stay home if you are sick. For information from the Williamson County and Cities Health District, click here. Learn more...

In March, U.S. Census postcards will be mailed to most homes over the course of a few days. Self-response will begin mid-March and ends July 31. The U.S. Census goes to great lengths to protect the information it receives. Some people have reported receiving mail, emails or phone calls that appear to be from the census, but are phishing schemes. You may be the victim of a scam if someone claiming to be from the Census Bureau asks you for certain information. The Census Bureau never asks for:
•    Your full social security number
•    Money or donations
•    Anything on behalf of a political party
•    Your full bank or credit card account numbers
•    Your mother’s maiden name. 

Should you suspect fraudulent activity, the Census Bureau has several suggestions on how to handle the situation on their website. If you have any questions about the 2020 Census, please visit 2020census.gov. 

Williamson County has some changes in store for Champion Park. The unique dinosaur-themed park was first opened to the public in September 2007. The dinosaur skeleton playscape was added in 2010. Williamson County will be adding a new playscape to the park in early 2020. The new playscape will replace the splash pad that is located by the small, covered picnic area. The splash pad will be removed the week of February 10, and the new playscape will be installed in April. 

On January 22, Williamson County sold approximately $348 million in bonds for road and park improvements. Voters approved the sale of $412 million in bonds for roads and $35 million for parks in the November 2019 election. Fitch Ratings and Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services once again affirmed their AAA rating for Williamson County bonds. Williamson County is one of only 8 counties in the State of Texas and 101 counties in the US to receive a AAA rating, the highest possible. “The interest rates we were able to obtain with our AAA bond rating averaged 2.32% for road bonds. According to Bloomberg, the last time the interest rate was this low was in 1956 when Dwight D. Eisenhower was president and Elvis Presley released his second studio album. It also was the year that Congress approved the Highway Act, which allowed the U.S. interstate highway system to be constructed. This seems very fitting since the majority of the bonds sold today will be used to increase safety and mobility on our Williamson County roads,” said County Judge Bill Gravell.

Williamson County District Clerk Lisa David wants to warn residents in Williamson and surrounding counties about a phone scam that was reported to her office.  People have been receiving calls from someone who claims to be a county official or law enforcement officer telling the victim that he or she has failed to appear for jury duty and is threatening arrest by failure to appear. District Clerk Lisa David wants to assure the public that this is not a practice that is used in Williamson County for jurors who do not appear for jury service, and she has not requested that any calls like these be made in her name.  Anyone who wishes to file a report about receiving a scam call should contact the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office at 512-943-1300.