City News: July 5 flooding updates, WCRAS merger, road closures, + more...
City News: July 5 flooding updates, WCRAS merger, road closures, + more...
Thursday, July 10, 2025
Historic flooding of San Gabriel River

As we transition to recovery from the historic flooding of the San Gabriel River this past weekend, we want to extend our 💙heartfelt and sincere thank you to everyone who offered assistance, listened and adhered to our requests to evacuate and avoid areas, and followed along as we shared updates across multiple days. Our gratitude also goes to all the crews working around the clock throughout the City to keep us safe and updated. 

Please continue to avoid the following areas, which remain closed as crews evaluate and work through damages: 

⚠️San Gabriel Park and trails 
⚠️ Blue Hole Park and trails 
️⚠️ Randy Morrow Trail 
⚠️Trails under Austin Avenue bridge 
⚠️ Heritage Community Garden 

The North Austin Avenue bridges are open; however, we may have to 🚧 close the area down to one lane over the next few weeks while we address scaffolding.  

The 💧 boil water notice has been lifted for all Georgetown water customers.

Resources for you:
✔️ How to sign up for electric and water emergency notifications. 
✔️ Sign up for Warn Central Texas. 
✔️ Report damages to the State.   
✔️ Opportunities to volunteer and donate. 
✔️ Updates on parks and programming.  
✔️ Ongoing City updates about the flood and recovery.  

Georgetown still has a way to go for recovery. We’ll keep you posted along the way. Thank you again, Georgetown. We couldn't have done this without you. 💙 

Find out more...  
Volunteer and donation opportunities 

We are overwhelmed and humbled by the outpouring of support and offers for assistance from our community and beyond❤️. 

If you have time and/or resources to donate toward recovery efforts, 🤝 please visit Williamson County’s resource guide here, where you can connect with agencies working on recovery efforts. 

The Austin Disaster Relief Network also has several volunteer opportunities for individuals, small groups, and organizations. 

The City of Georgetown has no unmet needs that the general public can provide at this time. We are working with staff and contractors to remove debris and perform hazardous cleanup at our parks. We will be working to create volunteer opportunities to assist us in the future, but don’t have any further information to share at this time. 

Thank you for your heart for service, Georgetown! 
Know where to look for information during ⚠️ emergencies 

When emergencies strike—like the flooding from this weekend—make sure you are checking ℹ️ official sources for updates and information. Emergencies are rife for misinformation, particularly on 👎 private Facebook and Nextdoor posts, so checking official sources will ensure you have the most ✔️ accurate information. 

In the City of Georgetown, we mainly use the following sources to share official updates: 

ℹ️ City website 

ℹ️ Official City Facebook pages 
🚔 Georgetown Police Department 
🚒 Georgetown Fire Department 
🏛️ City of Georgetown 

ℹ️ City of Georgetown Instagram 
ℹ️ Nextdoor 
ℹ️ City of Georgetown Utilities Nextdoor

Get real-time alerts sent to your phone or email about severe weather, evacuations, and local emergencies at the addresses that are important to you by signing up for ℹ️ Warn Central Texas. 

For ⚡ electric and 💧 water utility outages and emergencies, we use a software that is connected to the mobile phone number associated with your water and electric accounts. ℹ️ Instructions to register or confirm you are registered with our electric and water texting service are available here. 

We know not every channel will reach everyone we need to reach—if you see something on an official channel, please 🤝 share it with your neighbors and your community. 

If you see something posted to a private or unofficial page, please reach out to us on social media or through askGTX to confirm it with us. If you see misinformation, please help us correct it! Keeping our community informed takes the community: We’ll continue doing everything we can to spread the word, and we can always use your help 🤝. 

Animal shelter merger effective July 14 
Starting Monday, July 14, the merger between the Georgetown Animal Shelter and Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter (WCRAS) becomes official—and we’re answering your questions before you even have to ask.

❓ What do I do if I find a lost pet?
Starting Monday, if you find a lost pet in Georgetown who needs to enter the shelter system, you should take them to WCRAS at 1855 SE Inner Loop. Before bringing them to the shelter, we encourage you to use tools like Petco Love Lost and neighborhood resources to help reunite the pet with their family first.

❓ What about the cats at the Georgetown Animal Shelter?
They’re packing their tiny bags! All cats will now be housed and cared for at the WCRAS campus moving forward.

❓ Can I still adopt a dog in Georgetown?
You sure can! The former Georgetown Animal Shelter is now the WCRAS Red Poppy Adoptique—a cozy, adoption-focused space for dogs. Bonus: it’s right next to San Gabriel Park, perfect for Doggy Day Out adventures (available daily from noon–5:30 p.m.)! Dogs will be available for adoption at both campuses.

What new services do I get access to?
✅Weekly Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return clinics for community cats
✅Low-cost spay/neuter clinics (with free vaccines thanks to Petco Love)
✅Microchipping, pet registration, and Pet Hub tags
✅Online adoption listings and expanded foster and volunteer opportunities

This merger is about bringing people and pets together in more powerful, compassionate ways than ever before. ❤️🐾

📆 Mark your calendar for July 19 for our Merge Celebration at both locations—free adoptions, family fun, and heroic vibes await!

Find out more...

July 11 sunset movie postponed
The sunset movie screening of "The Wild Robot" scheduled for July 11 has been postponed due to flooding recovery in San Gabriel Park. We will share more information here when a new date is set. 

As of now, the Aug. 8 singalong of 🎥 "Wicked" is still on. 

📧 Sign up for the Parks and Rec newsletter to receive updates on programming changes.  

☀️ Summer Reading for All Ages – Let’s Get Lit(erary)!   

Summer at the Georgetown Public Library isn’t just about reading: It’s about experiencing the magic! Our Color Our World theme brings a lineup of fun events for every age group. 

Here’s a small sample of the free and fun events in July: 

Kids: Join us for captivating tales with African folklore storyteller Elizabeth Kahura — storytelling that sparks imagination! 📖🌍 

Tweens: Unleash your creativity at Imagine Arts Academy: Legends and Lore, where you’ll craft your very own mini-monster or creature card. 🐉🎨 

Teens: Cozy up for the Studio Ghibli movie series — beautiful films, big adventures, and plenty of heart. 🎥✨ 

Adults: Ready to relax and unwind? Try our Tie-Dye and Trivia night — fun, colorful, and full of laughs! 🌈🧠 

Don’t forget to track your reading for a chance to win prizes like games, travel mugs, and more. No matter your age, summer at the Library is your ticket to creativity and community. 

See all summer events and sign up...  
July 8 City council and Fiscal Year 2026 budget highlights

The Georgetown City Council met for about 7 hours Tuesday. Watch the full recordings at georgetowntexas.gov/gtv. The next regularly scheduled Council meeting is July 22. Presentations + documents: georgetowntexas.gov/agendas 

Some highlights from the meetings: 

During workshop, council discussed… 
🚗 Transportation Impact Fee report update 
💵Fiscal Year 2026 budget and tax rates 
Themes include maintaining reliable service delivery; public safety resource investment; and strategic infrastructure investment while maintaining strong fiscal stewardship. Some factors affecting the budget include marginal growth in sales tax and property tax, commitment to infrastructure expansion, and maintaining service levels with a growing community. 

Preliminary budget for Fiscal Year 2026 would include: 
🧑👮👩‍🚒New staffing to maintain service levels and address growth, including in police, fire, electric, and water
🏗️ Capital projects: streets, facilities, parks, water/wastewater 
Increases in utility investment from rate study recommendations in water, wastewater, electric, and solid waste 

The preliminary budget serves as a starting point for City Council discussion before City Manager David Morgan presents his proposed budget on Aug. 12. Additional information + public feedback opportunities coming soon! 

Check out the preliminary budget documents, and watch the workshop presentation for more detail. 

During the meeting, council approved first readings for... 
🗺️ Annexing and zoning ~147 acres generally located at 700 CR 142 to a planned unit development with base zoning districts of general commercial and industrial 
🧾 Levying special assessments for the Preserve at Water Oak PID, and 
👨‍🚒 Fire strength of force update 

📷: Proclamation recognizing July as Parks and Recreation Month 
📷: Assistant City Manager Nick Woolery gives part of the budget presentation during workshop.

Find out more... 
Stop the scammers!  
Georgetown Customer Care will NEVER contact you via 📞phone or 💻social media and ask you to: 

🚫☎️Make a payment over the phone 
🚫💳Pay in gift cards 
🚫ℹ️Provide your personal information 

Find out more... 

📢 Stay Connected with your Georgetown utilities 
Don’t miss important billing alerts, notifications, and conservation program updates 💧⚡ —make sure your email and phone number are up to date in our Customer Self Service portal. 

Log in today at css.georgetowntexas.gov to update your contact info!   

Final Blue Hole Park survey 
The final draft for the future of Blue Hole Park is done, and we want your feedback!  

In the previous surveys, we gathered valuable insights into the community’s overall needs, interests, preferences, and priorities. This third and final survey aims to understand what matters most and close the loop on public engagement. 

Your input will help shape future Blue Hole plans and ensure we focus on the features that best serve our community. Thank you for sharing your thoughts! 

Take the survey today. 
Find lane closures on Waze, Google Maps
Georgetown drivers can view lane and road closures through Waze and Google Maps 🎉! 

Thanks to a partnership 🤝 between the City and Waze, we can load active lane and road closures into the apps, whether it's for 🚧 a road project, ⛔ a right of way closure, 🎶 a festival, or others. 

Some closures now include:
Posted July 8, 2025: 
📍 East Morrow Street in San Gabriel Park closed during flood debris cleanup 
📍 NE Inner Loop lane closures for repaving from Hwy. 29 to FM 971 -July 9-10 

Ongoing: 
📍 Williams Drive one northwest-bound lane closed Lakeway Drive to Park Meadows Blvd July 7 – Oct. 7 
📍 Williams Drive one southeast-bound lane closed Park Meadows Blvd to Riverbend Drive July 7 – Oct. 7 
📍 Cottontail Lane closures July 7 – Oct. 7 
📍 Dog Iron Street closures July 7 – Oct. 7 
📍 Austin Avenue Bridges: one lane open in each direction 
📍 D.B. Wood Road: one lane open in each direction 
📍 Spring Street closed at North Austin Avenue June 23-July 7 
📍 Downtown streets closed for Market Days: July 12, Aug. 9, Sept. 13, Oct. 11, Nov. 8 
📍Rockride Lane closed SE Inner Loop to Carlson Cove June 16-Aug. 4 
📍Southwestern Boulevard closed from University Park Drive to Davidson Ranch Road 

While it won’t show up on Waze or Google maps, our annual street maintenance work is underway. Look for posts on Nextdoor and door hangers for when work is scheduled for your area.  

Know before you go: Check your 🗺️ Waze or Google Maps app before you leave for the best route. 

Check closures online here. 

Pet of the Week

Meet Mister. Known for his calm demeanor, Mister is a picture of serenity, making him a perfect companion for those seeking a laid-back canine friend. His desire for undivided attention shines through, as he prefers to be the sole pet in a loving home, ready to shower his family with endless affection and loyalty. Frontier Bank has sponsored his adoption fee through our Adoption Angel program, so his adoption is free! You can use the extra money to buy him his favorite treat - chicken tenders.
 
If you want to meet him, contact the Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter at 512-943-3322 
 or email adoption@wilco.org 
 
Walk-ins are welcome during open hours: 🕛 noon to 6 p.m. daily 
📍Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter | 1855 SE Inner Loop
📍Red Poppy Adoptique | 110 Walden Drive


Find out more... 
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