Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Jail And Justice topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Consultants present site-screening and interim space plan for Williamson County jail and justice complex
Summary
Program managers reported they screened 35 potential sites for the county jail and justice complex and identified 10 that meet pass/fail criteria; county staff also outlined a multi-phase interim space plan while the project moves forward.
Williamson County's program manager team gave commissioners an update Sept. 16 on early site screening for a new jail and justice complex and presented a phased interim plan to reconfigure courthouse-area offices while the long-term project proceeds.
Kitchell (program manager), HOK (architect) and HAP & Associates (site/civil consultant) told the court they screened 35 potential large sites countywide and applied pass/fail criteria that included a minimum of 80 buildable acres, sewer availability within one mile, utility access and consideration of future annexation by Georgetown. After a desktop review and weighted scoring across 33 categories (physical characteristics, environmental factors, proximity to services, development costs, operational efficiency and security risk), the team identified 10 sites that meet proceed criteria and recommended deeper due diligence on those properties.
Consultants emphasized long-term growth and cost pressures: every year of delay increases building costs via escalation (consultants cited typical escalation of 4—% annually) and the team noted the county's existing jail and courthouse footprint is increasingly strained by population growth. Kitchell said the county's population projections supplied by staff are being used to size facilities and that the team will finalize projections, scorecards and a shorter list of top sites in the coming weeks.
The program-manager team and county management also outlined a four-phase interim space plan to create courtrooms and staff workspaces inside existing county buildings while the justice complex is developed. Phase 1 (already started) addresses immediate office moves; Phase 2 (Oct. 1—May 1) aims to create temporary space for a new district court and sheriff's crime lab CID functions at the Lake Creek building; Phase 3 (May 1—Oct. 1) repurposes space following occupancy of the new Administration Building; Phase 4 (Oct. 1, 2026—Oct. 1, 2030) leaves longer-term decisions about the historic courthouse, records storage and other county operations until the project site and schedule are settled.
District Attorney Sean (last name redacted in the public record) told the court the current justice center was outgrown years ago and pledged support for advancing the project, saying population growth and case filings require a new facility. County Manager Rebecca Clemons presented the interim moves that will reassign courthouse, county clerk and other offices to create temporary courtroom and staff space; she and court leadership emphasized the moves are temporary and would be revisited when the new justice complex is built.
No final site was selected at the meeting; consultants said next steps are finalizing projections, conducting deeper due diligence on top-ranked sites, and developing a community engagement plan to share options and receive public input.
