Williamson County dissolves Avery Ranch road district after debt payoff

Williamson County Commissioners Court voted Sept. 16 to dissolve Avery Ranch Road District No. 1 after county auditors confirmed the district's debt is fully paid.

County Auditor Julie Kiley told the court the district was created in the 1980s and that three earlier road districts were dissolved in the early 2000s. She said the Avery Ranch district's debt service has been satisfied and the county is completing a close-out audit and processing final invoices; dissolving the district now makes the public record reflect that the county will no longer collect an assessment for the district.

Public commenters, including Rick Vatowski of Georgetown, praised the action and urged county staff to consider broader debt-retirement planning; Vatowski suggested a 10-year county debt retirement plan as a policy exercise, while staff flagged the trade-offs between accelerated payoff and tax or spending changes.

Commissioner Covey moved approval to dissolve the district; the motion was seconded and passed 4-0. Staff said the district name will remain on future road-district agendas for several months while close-out work continues.

Officials described road districts as a local financing tool that can fund roads more locally and be closed when obligations are met. The court noted it expects to see additional district close-outs over time as assessments are paid off.