Georgetown previews ADA self‑evaluation, opens 30‑day public comment on accessibility plan

Georgetown city staff and consultants outlined an updated ADA self‑evaluation and transition plan on Thursday, saying the work will set priorities to address physical and digital access barriers across city programs and facilities.

Lua, the city’s ADA coordinator, introduced the workshop and turned the presentation over to David Butkus of Access Innovation Partners, who said the plan responds to federal requirements under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act (including obligations for limited‑English‑proficiency residents) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Butkus said TxDOT’s oversight of federally funded projects also requires the city to demonstrate compliance.

The project, which began in May 2025, has collected data from 21 city facilities, 15 parks, four trails and five right‑of‑way pilot areas; consultants also reviewed 11 websites and 17 digital applications and surveyed staff across management, frontline and public safety groups to identify gaps between written policy and practice. Butkus said the team is grouping findings by asset type and assigning priorities that will guide remediation schedules and budgets.

"This is a citywide effort," Butkus said. "Departments involved include finance, engineering, parks, public works, legal and customer service."

City staff described the prioritization framework: Priority 1 items are barriers that prevent access to essential services (for example, a noncompliant parking space that blocks entry); Priority 2 items are barriers that limit access to specific goods or services (for example, doorways lacking proper maneuvering clearance). For digital access, staff said they rank issues by how they affect usability or access to critical information (contrast issues, for example, can be relatively easy to fix but affect many users).

The presentation said roughly 16% of Georgetown’s population conservatively identifies as having a disability and noted that number will rise as the community ages. The next phase will translate the assessments into an implementation and transition plan that aligns with capital planning (CIP) so remediation can be coordinated with planned projects.

Public outreach will begin when the presentation is posted the week of Dec. 8. The city will hold a 30‑day public comment window that closes on Jan. 9; comments and questions will be compiled into an FAQ and used to refine the implementation plan. Staff said they anticipate delivering a final draft for council review in late February.

Councilmembers asked clarifying questions about audible pedestrian signals, sidewalks in older neighborhoods and whether the transition plan functions as a master plan. Butkus said audible pedestrian signals are covered under PROWAG/ADA guidance where appropriate and that the current contract used a spot‑inspection approach rather than a comprehensive sidewalk inventory; staff said they can add targeted surveys if council requests. The city’s ADA coordinator, Lua, was identified as the staff contact for citizen‑reported accessibility issues.

The presentation and the public comment window are intended to document the city’s ongoing work toward compliance rather than to eliminate legal exposure entirely. "Having the plan shows you are working toward compliance," a city attorney representative said during Q&A.

What’s next: the presentation will be posted online the week of Dec. 8, the public comment window runs 30 days (closing Jan. 9), staff will compile feedback into an FAQ and refine the implementation plan, and council is expected to review a finalized transition plan in late February.