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ROUND ROCK NEWS

The City of Round Rock has a new outdoor watering schedule to avoid oversaturated yards and better balance water distribution during the week. The new watering days, passed by City Council in January, are based on the last number of your address and will be spread out over seven days rather than six to better balance water usage throughout the week.

Early voting for City Council Places 3 and 5 began Monday, April 19, and runs through Tuesday, April 27. All seats on the City Council are at-large, meaning they represent all areas of the City. In the order of their filing, incumbent Matt Baker and Janneke Parish are running for Councilmember Place 3, and Kristin Stevens and Tina Steiner are running for Councilmember Place 5. Election Day is set for May 1.

The Round Rock Public Library recently received the 2020 Achievement of Library Excellence Award from the Texas Municipal Library Directors Association, an affiliate of the Texas Municipal League. This award is conferred to libraries who exhibit excellence in providing services to underserved and special populations.

All adults are now eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in Texas, and mass vaccine providers are encouraging residents to move to direct scheduling as Williamson County closes waitlist. “The supply has caught up with the demand. We have made great progress in helping people get vaccinated, and we still have a way to go, but the form in which we do it will change,” County Judge Bill Gravell said.

FEATURE STORY

The Round Rock Public Library has partnered with the Utilities and Environmental Services Department to offer DIY Water Saving Kits to library cardholders.

The kits contain five items in a toolbox that must be returned after use: A pair of pliers, wrench, pressure gauge, rebate information and a guidebook. The other items included can be kept by customers to reduce water usage in their homes, including two shower heads, two toilet flappers, a drip gauge, a garden hose timer, a shower timer, some Teflon tape and two faucet aerators. The kits can be checked out just like a book: From the library’s catalog, simply search for “water kit.” For more information visit roundrocktexas.gov/library or email jwoods@roundrocktexas.gov.

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. In order to increase eligibility in the program, the Commissioners Court approved lowering the financial qualifications so that more businesses will be eligible.

The Round Rock City Council voted Thursday, April 8, to repeal the face covering ordinance effective 11:59 p.m. Thursday, April 22. The vote was 7-0, and Councilmembers also voted unanimously to dispense with second reading of the ordinance so the action is final. The City Council initially approved the emergency ordinance on face coverings on June 29, 2020.

UPCOMING CITY EVENTS