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After six years leading the district, Liberty Hill ISD Superintendent Steven Snell has resigned to become the next Williamson County Judge.

The Liberty Hill ISD board of trustees voted to accept Snell’s resignation at an April 7 special meeting. The board named Chief of Schools Travis Motal as its interim superintendent as the search for a new superintendent begins.

"The future is bright for Liberty Hill, and they're in great hands with Mr. Motal," Snell said in an interview with Community Impact.

The update

By accepting Snell's resignation, the board released him from his contract with the district, which was recently extended through 2028.

Motal has worked for LHISD in various roles over the last six years, including chief of schools, director of secondary and a principal. As he begins temporarily leading the district, Motal said he wants to help LHISD prepare for graduation, work through its budget development and hire new teachers and staff.

"I'm very excited," Motal said. "I appreciate the trust of the board [and] appreciate the faith they're going to have. I look forward to working with them, look forward to working with the community, the parents and keep Liberty Hill moving forward."

The board will discuss the superintendent resignation agreement to finalize Snell's compensation package at its next meeting April 11 at 9 a.m., school board President Megan Parsons said.

Snell told Community Impact he will be sworn in as Williamson County Judge April 21 at 3:30 p.m.

In their own words

Snell said he hopes to leave behind a legacy of community and culture in LHISD. He said he has purposefully prepared for the district's growth and is proud of the accomplishments of his team, including the construction of new campuses and student learning.

"It's bittersweet," Snell said. "I have loved every minute of working as superintendent of Liberty Hill ISD. I love this community and more important, I love the people I work with and the families that we've interacted with. It's been an incredible ride."

How we got here

On March 27, the Williamson County Commissioners Court appointed Snell as county judge following the resignation of former county judge Bill Gravell. Gravell resigned March 11 after accepting a role in President Donald Trump's administration with the U.S. Small Business Administration in the Office of Advocacy as the Region 6 advocate.

Snell was one of four candidates interviewed for the positions, including former Cedar Park Mayor Matt Powell.

"[It's a] huge responsibility in one of the biggest and most prosperous counties in the state," Snell said. "I'm looking forward to starting and doing that work."

The background

Snell has led the district in navigating fast growth from under 5,000 students to nearly 10,000 students over the last six years, according to the Texas Education Agency.

During his tenure, district voters passed bond packages in 2021 and 2023 totaling around $1 billion in construction projects. The district opened its second high school, Legacy Ranch, at a new middle school campus in 2024 with the school’s official campus opening in 2026.

LHISD is preparing to open its ninth elementary school and has acquired land throughout the Liberty Hill area to prepare for future growth. In an interview with Community Impact, Snell said he wanted to acquire a site for the district’s fourth high school and 10th elementary school before departing.

The district has faced growing budgetary concerns amid a mounting budget deficit in recent years. In November, voters failed to pass a nearly $0.06 per $100 valuation increase to the district’s tax rate though its first voter-approval tax rate election, or VATRE.

Next fiscal year, the district plans to make $6.37 million in budget cuts, including more than 70 positions.

Education Reporter

Chloe is an education reporter covering Leander, Liberty Hill and Lake Travis ISDs. She joined Community Impact as reporter in May 2023 after graduating with a degree in journalism from The University of Texas. Chloe previously served as the Austin metro intern for CI in summer 2022 and has interned for KXAN-TV, KUT and Austin Woman. When she’s not writing, she enjoys spending time in nature, thrift shopping, reading and listening to live music. Her passion is engaging communities around hyperlocal coverage.

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A new 5.3-mile stretch of the 183A Toll from Hero Way in Leander to Hwy. 29 in Liberty Hill is set to open to traffic April 9.

What you need to know

The road is part of the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority’s 183A Phase 3 project, which extends the existing 10-mile 183A Toll northward, according to the Mobility Authority’s website.

The project adds two tolled lanes in each direction within the median of the US 183 corridor and introduces a shared-use path spanning from Hero Way to Seward Junction Loop, according to previous Community Impact reporting.

According to a release from the Mobility Authority, the extended 183A Toll will provide drivers with nearly 16 miles of travel between Liberty Hill and Northwest Austin by bypassing traffic signals at:

When combined with access ramps, frontage road improvements and transitions, the overall project totals 6.6 miles in length.

"This is a fast-growing corridor in a fast-growing community, so this new stretch of 183A Toll will bring much-needed congestion relief to Williamson County," Mobility Authority Executive Director James Bass said in the release.

Keep in mind

The toll rate for a trip on the roughly 5-mile extension is $2.83 for drivers with electronic tags, like a TollTag or EZ Tag. Drivers wishing to avoid a toll charge can use the nontolled general purpose lanes of US 183, per the release.

In the coming weeks, construction crews will continue working on the final stretch of 183A Toll main lines, which will allow drivers to bypass the signaled intersection at Hwy. 29, according to the release.

Necessary closures for construction will be implemented until the project is complete, and crews will also be finishing construction on:

Remember this?

The 183A Phase 3 project was financed by the selling of bonds backed by toll revenue and a loan from the U.S. Department of Transportation, Mobility Authority spokesperson Sylvia Shelton previously told Community Impact.

A Flourish chart

One more thing

The 5.3-mile 183A Toll’s April 9 opening is subject to change based on weather or outside circumstances, according to the release.

Anna covers Williamson County, Georgetown and higher education in Central Texas. She graduated from Texas A&M in May 2024 with a degree in communication and a minor in journalism. Anna previously held editorial positions at The Battalion, Maroon Life Magazine and Insite Brazos Valley Magazine in Bryan-College Station. In her free time, she enjoys brewing coffee, hiking and hanging out with her husband.

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A Red River Showdown between the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners fell in favor of the burnt orange and white on Friday when former Texas State Bobcats kicker Mason Shipley signed with the Horns.

Texas State kicker Mason Shipley has signed with Texas, @On3sports has learned.The 2023 first-team Sun Belt selection is 31 of 35 on career field goals. https://t.co/VxSGJETKD9 pic.twitter.com/ZEUgj6itKS

— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos_) April 19, 2025

Shipley had just taken an official visit to Norman prior to Texas kicker Bert Auburn announcing his entrance into the NCAA transfer portal on Thursday.

But the Longhorns and special teams coordinator Jeff Banks won out when Shipley decided to continue his career in the Lone Star State.

A Liberty Hill product and former soccer player who spent a year at Oklahoma State in 2020, Shipley transferred to Texas State and redshirted in 2021 before serving as a kickoff specialist in 2022.

Shipley’s trajectory spiked the following season when he made all 15 field-goal attempts, one of two kickers to make every attempt, including all four from more than 40 yards. The efficiency by Shipley earned him recognition as All-Sun Belt first team and a Lou Groza Award semifinalist.

In 2024, Shipley wasn’t quite as efficient, missing two field goals between 30 and 39 yards, but also hit 4-of-5 attempts from 40 to 49 yards and 2-of-3 attempts from more than 50 yards, including a 60-yard field goal against Sam Houston.

Shipley finished 15-of-19 in 2024.

With the transfer of three-year starter Bert Auburn on Thursday, Shipley is the favorite to win the summer and preseason competition against senior Will Stone, the kickoff specialist who smashed through two point-after-attempts in the Cotton Bowl after Auburn missed two go-ahead field-goal attempts in the final 1:37 of regulation in the Peach Bowl.

It's a momentous year for Texas' world-famous burger chain. As Whataburger turns 75 years old the Corpus Christi-born company has been rolling out special deals every week, but it also hasn't slowed its expansion plans. Now one of the fastest growing towns in the Austin area is set to receive its first Whataburger.

Liberty Hill is located 35 miles north of Austin, west of Georgetown, and has been one of the many cities seeing a population surge as more and more people are being priced out of Austin. The town went from around 4,000 residents in 2020 to more than 10,000 in 2023 and is expected to surpass 15,000 in 2025. Sounds like plenty of people needing a late night Whataburger.

Located at 12925 West State Highway 29, the $2.6 million Whataburger is expected to begin construction on July 1 and be completed by November 1, according to a filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. All TDLR filings are subject to change without notice.

Liberty Hill has been the subject for a handful of major developments in the Austin area. A $22 million Target is also aiming to begin construction in July, while Costco is reportedly eyeing the area for a new store. Once Whataburger is completed, those same shoppers will have a go-to spot for everything from a mushroom Swiss burger to a honey butter chicken biscuit.

Find it: 12925 West State Highway 29, Liberty Hill, TX 78642

The 5-mile section of the road will create a new way for drivers to travel from Liberty Hill to northwest Austin.

LEANDER, Texas — Drivers in Leander now have a faster way to travel from Liberty Hill to northwest Austin.

On Wednesday, a 5-mile stretch of the U.S. 183A toll road extension officially opened between Hero Way and State Highway 29, as part of a continued effort to manage traffic growth by the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA).

Now, nearly 16 miles of the roadway are open, allowing drivers to avoid stop lights along San Gabriel Parkway, Hero Way, Bryson Ridge Trail and Whitewing Drive.

Anyone with electric toll tags will be charged $2.38 to take the new extension. The CTRMA includes payments with accounts like TollTag, EZ Tag, BancPass/Plus Pass, the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority's Pikepass and several others.

Alternatively, drivers who do not wish to travel on the toll road will still have access to the general 183 lanes, where an additional fee is not required.

CTRMA Executive Director James Bass said the toll extension "will serve as a reliable, time-saving option for many commuters; but whether you chose to travel the toll road or not, all folks will experience a safer, easier commute along the corridor."

Some construction will still be noticeable on the roadway throughout the next few weeks as crews continue work on the 183A Phase III Project. This includes the end of the toll main lanes, along with updates to areas north of State Highway 29, the Shared Use Path and more.

During construction, the CTRMA said drivers should expect delays in travel, lane shifts, detours and other temporary setbacks.

The 183A toll road extension was originally set to open in late March but was pushed back after the CTRMA reported delays with contractor Lane Construction.

"This project is not where it should be, and for [Lane Construction] to ghost us is unacceptable," CTRMA's board treasurer said at the time.