Residents press Williamson County commissioners to cancel contract and reconsider jail site near Georgetown schools

Residents urged Williamson County officials on May 5 to halt and reassess plans tied to the county's proposed criminal justice complex and a county property sale, saying neighbors received inadequate notice and that the site under consideration would place a jail near schools and neighborhoods.

Amy Shillerstrom of Georgetown asked the court to reconsider selling a 98-acre Blue Ridge parcel in Georgetown and said the county should retain the land for long-term public benefit and "use it" as the site for a new Criminal Justice Center. She said the parcel sits adjacent to I-35 and county facilities, calling it "the right location" for a Justice Center and urging commissioners, "Don't sell this parcel of land and don't purchase the land at Interloop and Southwestern." (Amy Shillerstrom)

James Hedrick, who identified himself as a Georgetown resident and said he has children who would attend a school near the planned site, told the court he opposed the site for a jail and said the public has had no "seat at the table" on the decision. Hedrick said the county had agreed to buy property for $75,800,000 that he said has a market value of about $9,000,000 according to WCAD, and he questioned total project estimates the county provided: "Ultimately, the estimates that y'all put forward were $700,000,000 for the whole project over time. But looking at inflation, construction cost, it could be over $1,000,000,000." (James Hedrick)

Hedrick also said the nearest schools, George Wagner Middle School and Mitchell Elementary, are roughly one-third of a mile from the proposed site and warned that moving the county's release operations closer to schools would not solve existing problems with inmate release downtown.

Wyatt Wheeler, a Saddle Creek resident of Georgetown, said residents felt "disrespected" and unaware of the proposal: "I was very disappointed about the lack of communication with my neighborhood about the proposal." Wheeler said he and neighbors had circulated flyers and that many parents with young children did not know a jail had been proposed near their neighborhood.

Court responses were procedural and offered follow-up rather than a decision on the project. Commissioners and staff did not vote on item 46 during the public session; the court stated it would not discuss item 46 in closed session that day. Commissioner Covey invited neighborhood representatives to give contact information to County Manager Rebecca Clemons for follow-up visits and said staff would attempt further outreach: "Happy to come out and visit with your neighborhood too."

No formal action to cancel a contract or reverse the property purchase was taken during the meeting. Residents said they had created a website with more than 2,400 visitors in the prior week and urged commissioners to read constituent emails and to provide an explanation of the deal and the county's due diligence.

The court recessed into executive session at 10:23 a.m. for unrelated legal matters and returned at 10:58 a.m. without taking further public action on the jail site. The meeting adjourned at 10:58 a.m.