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| Share your thoughts on the City’s proposed budget
City Manager David Morgan presented the proposed Georgetown FY 2026 budget Tuesday, which 💵includes:
✔️ 70 new staff positions in various departments including 21 new 👮 police +👩🚒 fire positions
✔️ New fire station design and public safety equipment
✔️ Transportation projects and park improvements
Additional revenue is needed to cover the 📈increased cost to manage growth (such as major infrastructure projects 🚧, development pressures 🏗️, and employee retention 👷).
📊More facts about the City budget📊
🏠 Williamson County’s Tax Appraisal District establishes property valuations, not the City.
💵 The City's portion of your property tax bill is about 20 percent.
📉 Georgetown's tax rate is among the lowest in the region.
📊 The revenue the General Fund gets from property taxes amounts to $23 million, which is 20 percent of our general fund budget. The police department's budget alone is more than $27 million.
📍 Where you live affects your rates: If you live in a municipal utility district, you will have different rates than people who do not.
🗓 The City has been working on this budget through City Council meetings since January, most recently with an ~3.5-hour workshop on July 8.
🛣 The City’s annual street maintenance program is funded by a quarter-cent sales tax approved by voters every four years and helps extend the life span of our roadways and prevent damage that can lead to more costly repairs. You can read more about it here.
🌆 The City does not tax gas or collect/charge toll road fees. The City gets 2 percent of the 8.25 percent you pay in sales tax.
🔍 The City is limited in what we can do to manage growth, particularly in our extraterritorial jurisdiction and outside City limits, which is where we are seeing the most growth for our services.
🎓 Georgetown offers a free academy to help everyone understand the ins and outs of their local government. We encourage everyone here who is interested in learning more to sign up for the Civic Leadership Academy next year.
Provide comment on the budget through askGTX by Sept. 5.
Find out more...
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| School is back in session 📚!
Georgetown ISD schools started today (Thursday, Aug. 14).
👀 Watch for school zones and speed limits 🚸 during posted hours or when lights flashing. Use of cell phones in active school zones 🚫 📱 is prohibited.
Please remember to 🛑 stop for school buses.
If you’re driving behind a 🚌 school bus, please maintain a greater following distance than you would for a regular car. Always watch for the 🚨 bus’s flashing lights, which signal a stop. Treat yellow flashing lights as a warning to slow down, and stop completely when the red lights are flashing. See the graphic here for more details.
Remember, the area within 10 feet around a school bus is particularly dangerous for children. Always 🛑 stop far enough away to give them space to safely get on and off the bus.
🤝 Let’s keep our children safe as they head back to school. Your attention on the road is crucial to their safety.
Tips for students...
🚶 On foot 🚶
🔵 Use sidewalks and crosswalks. If those aren’t available, walk on the edge of the road facing traffic.
🔵 Make eye contact with drivers before crossing the street.
🔵 Avoid using your phone and headphones.
🚲 On a bike 🚲
🔵 Wear a helmet.
🔵 Ride in the same direction as traffic and obey traffic signs and signals.
🔵 Wear bright clothing or reflective gear.
🚌 On the bus 🚌
🔵 Stand at least 10 feet from the curb when waiting for the bus.
🔵 Wait for the bus to come to a complete stop before approaching.
🔵 Look left-right-left before crossing the street.
Find out more...
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| 🔥 Watch for prescribed burns at Lake Georgetown🔥
Georgetown Fire, in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Texas Parks & Wildlife, will be conducting controlled burns around Lake Georgetown between Sept. 1, 2025–March 31, 2026 (weather permitting).
✅ Notifications will go out via Warn Central Texas and on the Georgetown Fire Facebook page—typically the day before a burn. If the timing works out, we will post an article in this newsletter as well.
💨 Expect visible smoke in the area and some park/trail closures during burn days. 🌿 The goal: reduce wildfire risk and improve native plant growth.
📱 Sign up for alerts at WarnCentralTexas.org and enable Wireless Emergency Alerts on your phone.
😷 Concerned about air quality? Visit AirNow.gov for tips on how to stay safe.
Find out more...
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| Find community at the Georgetown Bark Park
There’s nothing quite like the joy of seeing 🐶tails wagging and 🙋♀️friendly faces at the Georgetown Bark Park. Whether you’re 🥎 tossing a ball, 🗫 sharing a bench, or ☀️soaking up the sunshine, it’s a place where neighbors become friends and where every pup finds a pal.
❤️ In Georgetown you’re more than welcome to find a special kind of connection you can't find just anywhere.
Find out more...
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| Due tomorrow: Painted rain barrel project submissions
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| 🛣️2021 Road Project Update: Rockride Lane open to traffic
Rockride Lane is open to traffic again at the intersection with SE Inner Loop Road🎊. The eight-week closure of the road allowed the 👷contractor to complete the roadway and storm drain improvements, as well as the construction of the shared-use path 🚴in the segment between SE Inner Loop and the driveway to Mitchell Elementary School.
🚧 Construction work will continue in the segment between the Mitchell Elementary driveway and Sam Houston Avenue. Some lane closures with flagging operations🛑 will be needed during construction; however, access to 🏫Wagner Middle and 🏫Mitchell Elementary schools will be maintained.
Rockride Lane is a 2021 City transportation bond project that started construction in May. This project will improve the roadway to a two-lane collector road 🛣️with a center turn lane and the addition of a 10-foot-wide shared-use path along the east side of Rockride Lane from SE Inner Loop to Sam Houston Avenue. The project is scheduled to be complete by fall 2026.
Find out more...
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| 📣 Water rebates for Fiscal Year 2025 are closing soon
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| Get ready for Love Where You Live month
🌟 September is almost here—and that means it’s Love Where You Live month in Georgetown! 💚
We’ve got a full calendar of events to help keep our city clean and beautiful:
🗑️ Community Collection Event – Sept. 13
🔋 Battery Blitz – Sept. 18
💧 Rivery Park Cleanup – Sept. 19
🏠 Household Hazardous Waste Collection (registration required) – Sept. 20
Mark your calendars 📅 and join us in showing your Georgetown pride!
Find out more...
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| Georgetown Job Fair: Sept. 4
Join us for the 2025 Community and Veterans Job Fair hosted by the City of Georgetown, in partnership with the Texas Veterans Commission and Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area.
📅 Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025
🕘 9 a.m.-noon
📍 Georgetown Community Center, 445 E. Morrow St.
🏢Businesses from Georgetown and the surrounding area will be onsite, accepting applications and resumes.
Job fair is open:
🎖️ 9-10 a.m. to veterans and their families
💼 10 a.m.-noon to the general public
Registration encouraged.
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| Labor Day Sidewalk Sale
Ready to shop 'til you drop? 🛍️ Downtown Georgetown is gearing up for the Labor Day Sidewalk Sale happening Aug. 29 -Sept. 1!
🌟 Join us for four days of fantastic finds and fabulous food! From trendy boutiques to cozy cafes, our charming streets have it all. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to support local businesses and snag amazing deals.
📅 Friday, Aug. 29-Monday, Sept. 1
📍 Downtown Georgetown
🔗 For more information
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| Wilco Symphony awarded arts grant
The Georgetown Arts and Culture Board approved $5,000 in grants to the Wilco Symphony for two orchestra concerts in Georgetown.
The funding is for events in Georgetown taking place between Oct. 1, 2025, and March 31, 2026.
The next grant cycle will accept proposals Dec. 1-31, 2025, for events and programs occurring April 1-Sept. 30, 2026.
Find out more...
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| Aug. 12 City council highlights
The Georgetown City Council met for about ~5 hours Tuesday. Watch the full recordings at georgetowntexas.gov/gtv. The next regularly scheduled Council meeting is Aug. 26. Presentations + documents: georgetowntexas.gov/agendas
Some highlights from the meetings:
During workshop, council discussed…
📊 City Manager’s proposed Fiscal Year 2026 budget and tax rate
🗑️ FY 2026 Proposed Texas Disposal Systems contract and retail rates
During the meeting, council approved…
🗺️ Setting public hearing date for property tax rate for Aug. 26 and setting the maximum property tax rate for FY 2026
💧🚙Second readings for: Water, wastewater, and transportation impact fees
🚘Second reading for the possible action to request an amendment to the Future Mobility Plan to include Parmer Ranch Boulevard as a collector roadway from RM 2338 to Ronald Reagan Boulevard
📄First readings for:
-2025 annual service plan update to the service and assessment plan and updated assessment roll for the Parks at Westhaven Public Improvement District
-Amending the code of ordinances related to animals related to the merger with the Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter
-Lakeside Estates extraterritorial jurisdiction municipal utility district consent agreement
-Annexing ~24 acres at Ronald Reagan Boulevard and Williams Drive with a general commercial zoning district
-Annexing ~620 acres for the Heirloom Planned Unit Development at Williams Drive, Ronald Reagan Boulevard and CR 248
📷: Promotion of Officer Brian Franks to sergeant
Find out more...
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| 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.
Street or lane closures include:
📍Austin Avenue southbound outside lane closed Seventh to Eighth streets Aug. 25-Sept. 5
📍Austin Avenue northbound outside lane closed Fifth to Sixth streets Aug. 18-Sept. 5
📍Williams Drive one northwest-bound lane closed Lakeway Drive to Park Meadows Boulevard July 7-Oct. 7
📍Williams Drive one southeast-bound lane closed Park Meadows Boulevard 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
📍Downtown streets closed for Market Days: Sept. 13, Oct. 11, Nov. 8
📍Southwestern Boulevard closed from University Park Drive to Davidson Ranch Road
Know before you go: Check your 🗺️ Waze or Google Maps app before you leave for the best route.
Check closures online here.
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.
Street sealant work (high-performance pavement sealant) started July 28 in the Wolf Ranch Hilltop and Wolf Ranch South Fork neighborhoods. Street repaving work is scheduled for Aug. 18-22 in the Quail Valley neighborhood.
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Pet of the Week
Raven is a sweet, high-energy pup who loves toys, especially a good game of fetch. Her signature move? Rolling around with her favorite toy, keeping her gorgeous jet-black coat in top form. Raven would do best as the only pet in an adult home, where she can give all her love and energy to her people. Thanks to her Adoption Angel, Presidio Custom Kennels, Raven’s adoption fee is covered for her lucky new family!
You can meet Raven at the shelter's main campus at 1855 SE Inner Loop. Open daily from noon-6 p.m., no appointment is required!
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 W.L. Walden Drive (dogs only)
Find out more...
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