Williamson County, Texas, is on a trajectory to double its population from roughly 760,000 today to 1.6 million by 2055, and potentially 3 million by the end of the century. In a recent episode of the Rock Solid: Round Rock Business Leaders Podcast, County Judge Steve Snell explained how he is steering that growth, emphasizing that the role is more akin to a CEO and emergency manager than a traditional courtroom judge.
Snell, who has 31 years in public education, including leadership roles in Hutto ISD and as superintendent of Liberty Hill ISD, oversees roughly 30 to 35 departments, from fleet services and animal shelters to the juvenile justice center and Sheriff's Office. He described arriving to his interview with a three-ring binder tabbed with budget lines, policies, and responsibilities, a habit from his educator background.
The conversation, hosted by Bryan Eisenberg and published September 15, 2026, covered emergency response after Williamson County's historic July floods, oversight of county departments, and economic development wins tied to major employers such as Dell, Samsung, Compal, Apple, Firefly, Kalahari, Nebraska Furniture Mart, and the incoming Scheels in Cedar Park.
On the growth challenge facing unincorporated neighborhoods and Municipal Utility Districts, Snell said, "When you build 1,000 homes next to an old two-lane road and all the construction trucks tear it up, we need to come and fix that for mobility and safety, or we need to expand it." He also reflected on service, saying, "at the end of the day, it's not about me. It's about service and it's about Williamson County."
The episode digs into what Snell sees as the next wave of Williamson County industry. He points to the county's designation as a spaceport in partnership with the City of Cedar Park, its geographic position between Fort Hood and joint commands in downtown Austin, and Firefly Aerospace as the current anchor of a rapidly expanding space sector. Snell and Eisenberg also discuss trade education, workforce development, veteran employment as service members transition out of Fort Hood, and entrepreneurship classes in Liberty Hill high schools, where a chamber president now teaches students. Snell praises Round Rock ISD, Leander ISD, Cedar Park's Plug and Play, and partnerships with Precinct 2 Commissioner Cynthia Long on land acquisitions for future schools and parkland.
For business and technology leaders, Snell's approach signals a county government focused on infrastructure, workforce, and economic development to support rapid growth. The emphasis on space, advanced manufacturing, and trade education could create opportunities in those sectors. The podcast is produced by Rock Solid: Round Rock Business Leaders Podcast and is available wherever podcasts are heard. The full episode can be found here.
