Task force directs staff to inventory downtown properties and limit scope to near‑square listings

The Williamson County Courthouse Task Force on May 20 directed county staff to identify potential properties that meet the consultants’ space parameters and to present a ranked inventory for review before the next meeting.

Judge Hood proposed asking staff to produce the list and the task force debated whether to hire a real estate specialist or rely on county staff and the tax assessor’s records. After discussion about market sensitivity and the risk of driving up prices if the county is publicly identified as a buyer, members adopted an amendment limiting the inventory to parcels that are currently on the market or adjacent to on‑market parcels within a defined downtown perimeter; the chair restated the amendment as a one‑mile radius of the square when the amendment passed.

County staff assured the task force they can run the parameters and produce the list: "I can definitely get the list of all properties. We'll work with the property assessor to do that," said county staff member Mr. Vincent. The task force asked Mr. Benson and county staff to circulate the candidate list at least five days before the next meeting so commissioners and members can review it.

The transcript records that the amendment and request to staff carried by voice/hand vote; no roll‑call tally is recorded in the minutes. Members emphasized that the inventory should prioritize realistic, on‑market alternatives to the Hill property and include obvious exclusions (floodplain hazards, severe access constraints).