Williamson County, Texas

Because of the impending storms predicted, the Vaccination Clinic at Kelly Reeves Athletic Stadium will close today at 1 p.m. out of safety concerns. 

Those with appointments were sent emails to reschedule.

Effective Monday, April 5, the Williamson County Vaccine Registration Technical Assistance (VRTA) centers, which assist individuals who may want or need in-person guidance to set up a COVID-19 vaccine appointment, will be available from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Before, these sites were open until 3 p.m.

In partnership with local entities, Williamson County will continue to offer residents assistance with the vaccination process at the following VRTA locations:

·         St. Richard's Episcopal Church, located at 1420 E Palm Valley Blvd in Round Rock, open Tuesdays.   

·         First United Methodist Church Georgetown (McKinney Christian Ministry Center), located at 1205 Ash St. in Georgetown, open Wednesdays.   

·         Northpoint Church, located at 1320 Arrow Point Drive, UNIT 201 in Cedar Park, open Thursdays.   

·         Hill Country Bible Church, 3300 Little Elm Trail, Gym Building in Cedar Park, open Fridays.    

·         First Baptist Taylor, 2500 Mallard Lane in Taylor, open Thursdays.    

·         The Oaks in Sun City, 301 Del Webb Boulevard in Georgetown, open Wednesdays ONLY.  

In Williamson County, 105 businesses have received an average of $6,559 each through Phase 2 of the County’s Wilco Forward Small Business Grant program financed with CARES Act funds.

The program offers financial assistance to food services such as restaurants, food trucks and caterers, bars, and hotels/motels that were financially impacted due to closures and occupancy restrictions due to COVID-19.

In order to increase eligibility in the program, today the Commissioners Court approved lowering the financial qualifications so that more businesses will be eligible. In Wilco Forward Phase 2, a business can receive up to $500 per employee with a maximum amount of $10,000 if eligible.

Under the revision, a business’s average monthly gross revenue for 2020 must be at least 10 percent lower than the 2019 average monthly gross revenue. This is down from the original requirement of the 2020 average monthly gross revenue being at least 25 percent lower than 2019.

Businesses will need to provide documentation that they are eligible for the program and have been adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Visit the Wilco Forward Phase 2 signup page for more information and to apply. The application deadline is April 16, 2021. 

If I had to run out of my house today during an emergency, what would I grab and how quickly?

During our recent winter storm unofficially called Uri, many people had to flee their homes that flooded from busted pipes or just to find a warm place somewhere.

If you weren’t fleeing, flushing toilets with melted snow, or weathering the elements indoors without lights or heat, you were lucky. And if you had to dig through snow in the dark to find the main water shutoff valve to your home as your busted pipes gushed like Old Faithful inside, therein is a lesson for all of us.

We should all be able to locate our water main, and where to shut off the power and gas as quickly as possible in any disaster at any time of day.

If a big storm or fire is coming through, we now know we’d better have water saved up, flashlights and batteries. Those flashlights will come in handy when you’re trying to shut off water, gas or electricity in the dark!

For your ready-to grab bag, consider making copies of legal and important documents like home/auto insurance, house/auto titles, bank accounts, credit cards, licenses, passports, and lists of prescription names with numbers, phone numbers, doctors and passwords.

Items for your emergency kit can include:

• prescriptions
• over-the-counter medicines you use
• small water bottles for drinking
• distilled water required for medical equipment
• phone chargers
• a change of clothes and shoes
• extra eyeglasses if possible
• toothbrushes and toothpaste
• jackets
• snacks
• soap, hand sanitizer, wipes and toilet paper
• diapers, bottles and formula
• face masks
• waterproof bags for items like prescriptions and documents.

Williamson County launched Phase 2 of its Wilco Forward Small Business Grant Program for businesses financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Small businesses such as food services, bars and hotels/motels have been able to apply for a small business grant to help them stay afloat since Wednesday, March 17.

This is the second round of Wilco Forward small business grants funded by CARES Act funds. The Williamson County Commissioners Court approved allocating $10 million to fund the program during the Commissioners Court meeting held on Tuesday, March 10. Each eligible business will receive up to $500 per employee with a maximum amount of $10,000.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has been devastating to businesses in Williamson County and across the country.  Through our original round of small business grants, we were able to help thousands of businesses in Williamson County stay afloat during some of the most challenging days of this ordeal,” said Williamson County Treasurer Scott Heselmeyer. “As our businesses finally return to fully-opened nearly a year later, our restaurant, bar, and hospitality businesses have continued to be significantly affected by government-mandated closures. Williamson County’s responsible management of CARES Act dollars over the last year has left us with resources available to help these businesses get back on their feet.”