WILLIAMSON COUNTY -- After six months – and $600,000 – the tax office in Cedar Park has reopened with a few big upgrades – including a drive-thru.
Larry Gaddes, the Williamson County tax collector assessor, said their Cedar Park location is the most visited tax office in the county, with 75,000 to 80,000 taxpayers stopping by each year.
"We had explosive growth in Cedar Park, Leander over the past few years and, quite frankly, the number of tax payers coming to visit our office ... we outgrew our space,” said Gaddes.
He showed KVUE the space they used to use for overflow, setting extra chairs in the building’s entryway, but still only having enough seats for about 50 people.
"It got bad enough to where we didn't have enough spaces for chairs, people were having to sit on the floor – it was a dire situation,” said Gaddes.
Now, he says they've doubled the seating, and added more customer stations for future growth.
“County commissioners were able to put that in the budget, and lower the tax rate, which we’re very thankful for” said Gadess.
Wednesday, Richard Marceline renewed his registration using the new drive-thru.
"I expected it to take me five-plus hours, and it took me 20 minutes, not even 20 minutes – that was fantastic,” said Marceline. "This is fantastic, I didn't even know this was a thing.”
At the Round Rock office, a drive-thru has been a thing for few years, where the county said 15,000 to 18,000 customers roll through each year.
“I love it, I mean, it's perfect for me, especially not having to get out of my car,” said Deborah Williams.
"Everybody knows the convenience of going through the drive-thru at a bank, and we wanted to offer that same convenience,” said Gaddes.
He said people can use the drive-thru for quick transactions, like property tax payments and vehicle registration renewals
"It's great we're getting the same comments about how convenient it is, and how thankful moms are that they don't have to get the kids out of the car seats, and the folks that have a hard time getting in and out of their vehicles, or just the sheer convenience of not having to come into the office," said Gaddes.
"This is so much better than having to wait in line all day," said Marceline.
If you have a longer transaction, like a title transfer, you still don't necessarily have to wait.
You can make an appointment online here.
Wednesday, the county held an open house from 4 to 6 p.m. for visitors to see the new space.