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Speaker at Commissioners Court raises transparency concerns on economic development, certificates of obligation and Robinson Ranch Road
Summary
A public commenter urged Williamson County leaders to prioritize U.S. suppliers, questioned transparency on economic development items and certificates of obligation, and warned about a road project tied to a large private landowner. No action followed; comments were heard during public comment period.
A public comment on Sept. 9 at the Williamson County Commissioners Court raised concerns about transparency in economic development deals, county purchasing, and a planned road project connected to a private landholding.
Bill Kerberlaw, who identified himself as a sixth‑generation Williamson County resident, used his allotted public comment time to single out several agenda items and county practices. Kerberlaw urged county leaders to “be doing America First” instead of purchasing from foreign suppliers when possible and criticized what he described as a lack of transparency in economic development items tied to agenda lines 37 through 42.
Kerberlaw also raised questions about certificates of obligation, saying they are used to spend large sums without voter approval: “For those who don't know what these things are… the certificates of obligations is where they can spend the, small billions on capital because it's hard to get voters to approve a whole lot of those categories. So this is a loophole that allowed to spend more millions without the voter approval.”
On a county road project, Kerberlaw said Robinson Ranch Road appeared to be routed to serve a large private trust and noted a recent county condemnation dispute that he said worked out to about $128,653 per acre. He also referenced an upcoming agenda item about tobacco settlement funds and a lawsuit concerning bidding exemptions. Kerberlaw’s remarks were part of the public‑comment period; commissioners did not take action in response during that portion of the meeting.
Kerberlaw offered to continue his remarks into non‑agenda items; the presiding judge allowed him to proceed with the remainder of his comments without taking immediate action.
