Monday, September 21, 2026
Compiled from the record with an editorMonday: Aledo ISD's board takes up three $161,913 school buses, class-size waivers at seven elementary campuses and $197,333.39 in cell antennas Tuesday; the county votes on its tax rate at 9 a.m. and Willow Park on the water agency at 6 p.m.; 217 counties under a burn ban
Why it matters. The bus memo in Tuesday's board packet says the district has spent $4,288,303.75 of the $4,500,000.00 the 2023 bond set aside for buses, and the three buses proposed would cost $486,539.00, the Ledger's arithmetic putting the total past the bond allocation with the balance coming from bond interest income, as the memo says.
The board agenda, posted to BoardBook Sept. 18, asks the trustees to approve a $486,539.00 order for three 77-passenger buses from Longhorn Bus Sales, class-size waivers for classes above 22 students at Annetta, Coder, McCall, Lynn McKinney, Stuard, Vanda and Walsh, and a $22,952.73 share of the county's dispatch console, and lists a superintendent contract discussion in executive session. Parker County's Commissioners Court votes on the 2026 tax rate Tuesday at 9 a.m., and Willow Park's council takes up the county water agency, the Tractor Supply plat and new water charges at 6 p.m. The Texas A&M Forest Service list stamped 9/18/2026 8:20:25 AM still carries 217 counties, Parker among them.
217
counties under a burn ban on the Texas A&M Forest Service list stamped 9/18/2026 8:20:25 AM, Parker County among them; unchanged since Friday's edition More
Source: Texas A&M Forest Service, Texas Burn Bans county list, read Sept. 21 (pipeline/fetch_burnban.py)
Weather
Today: a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1 p.m., sunny, high near 96 with temperatures falling to around 92 in the afternoon, heat index values as high as 100, chance of precipitation 30%. Tonight: a chance of showers and thunderstorms before 10 p.m., partly cloudy, low around 71. Tuesday: mostly sunny, high near 93, heat index values as high as 99.
Source: National Weather Service, Fort Worth, forecast for Aledo read Sept. 21, 5:47 a.m. CDT; no active alerts for the point
The record
Aledo ISD board, Tuesday: three 77-passenger buses for $486,539 from 2023 bond funds, class-size waivers at seven elementary campuses, $197,333.39 in cell antennas for two campuses, and a superintendent contract discussion in executive session
The administration's memo says the 2023 Bond Program included $4,500,000.00 for school buses, that the district has bought thirty (30) buses in June 2023, May 2024 and October 2025 for $4,288,303.75, and that several routes are operating at or near capacity. Read the brief
Read: The agenda on BoardBook · The bus memo (PDF) · The class-size waiver memo (PDF)
Source: Aledo ISD, Board of Trustees agenda for Sept. 22, 2026 and its memos and attachments on BoardBook, posted Sept. 18, read Sept. 21
Aledo ISD's 2026-2027 federal grant notice: Title I-A $172,674, Title II-A $126,120, Title III-A $23,932, Title IV-A $12,443, with the Title IV-A funds moved to Title I-A
The public notice in Tuesday's packet says the district's improvement committee voted to transfer 100% of the Title IV, Part A funds to Title I, Part A for additional student intervention at Title I campuses.
Source: Aledo ISD, Public Notice of Federal Grant Applications for 2026-2027, in the Sept. 22 board packet, read Sept. 21
Aledo's Sept. 17 council meeting: no recording or minutes on CivicClerk as of this morning, so the votes on the golf cart and e-bike ordinances and the Shell variance are not on the record yet
CivicClerk lists the agenda and packet for the Sept. 17 meeting, and the agenda and packet only for Sept. 3; the next regular council meeting is Oct. 1 at 6 p.m.
Where it stands: Raised by the police chief June 4; work session Sept. 3. Ordinance No. 2026-O-24 (golf carts, ATVs, off-road, utility and recreational off-road vehicles) and Ordinance No. 2026-O-25 (bicycles and e-bikes) are on the Sept. 17 agenda for approval; the Sept. 3 minutes were not posted as of Sept. 13.
Source: City of Aledo CivicClerk, events and published files, read Sept. 21
Burn ban: Parker County remains on the Texas A&M Forest Service list, 217 counties on the list stamped 9/18/2026 8:20:25 AM
Where it stands: 90,400 acres in Palo Pinto County, 83% contained as of InciWeb's Sept. 12 update; cause listed as equipment use, under investigation. Parker County remains under a burn ban, one of 209 counties on the Forest Service list stamped 9/11/2026.
Source: Texas A&M Forest Service county list, read Sept. 21
New in town
New sales-tax permits in the footprint, issued Sept. 15 to Sept. 18 per the Comptroller's active permit list: Galla Brava LLC, retail, 709 N Fm 1187 Ste 800 # 5, Aledo; Bristol Trading Co., LLC, retail, Annetta; Glow Getter Girlz LLC, retail, Aledo; Hodges Health Chiropractic and Family Wellness, health care, Hudson Oaks; Graytin Financial LLC, retail, Aledo; C&B Furs LLC, retail, Aledo; Main and Exchange Designs, manufacturing, Aledo
Addresses are shown only for commercial corridors; a permit is not an opening date.
Source: Texas Comptroller, Active Sales Tax Permit Holders (data.texas.gov dataset jrea-zgmq), read Sept. 21 (pipeline/fetch_new_businesses.py)
Coming up
Monday, Sept. 21, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.: Parker County Transportation Town Hall #1 on the Thoroughfare Plan update, Peaster Intermediate School Cafeteria, 3401 Harwell Lake Rd, Weatherford
What you can do. The Aledo session is Tuesday, Sept. 29, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., at the Don R. Daniel 9th Grade Campus Cafeteria, 990 Bailey Ranch Rd.
Tuesday, Sept. 22, 9 a.m.: Parker County Commissioners Court votes on the 2026 tax rate, Parker County Courthouse, 1 Courthouse Square, Weatherford
What you can do. Estimate your bill before the vote.
The court votes on the proposed 2026 rate of $0.28471930 per $100, which the county's notice lists as equal to its no-new-revenue rate. The 2025 rate was $0.28507000.
Tuesday, Sept. 22, 6 p.m.: Aledo ISD Board of Trustees, Aledo ISD Administration Board Room, 1008 Bailey Ranch Rd.
What you can do. Public comment on non-agenda and agenda items follows the commendations and the Coder Elementary presentation, per the agenda.
First regular meeting since the deficit budget was adopted in late August; the one-time $1,200 staff payment is due in October.
Tuesday, Sept. 22, 6 p.m.: Willow Park City Council: the county water agency, the Tractor Supply plat, water charges and deposits, the Dean Ranch suit in closed session
What you can do. The Ledger's agenda brief has the items and how to sign up to speak.
Posted on Willow Park's Municode meetings hub for 6 p.m.; the Dean Ranch annexation case, CV26-0175, remains pending.
Where it stands: Aledo and Fort Worth's suit against Willow Park over the 320-acre Beall-Dean Ranch tract is pending in the 43rd District Court. Willow Park's Sept. 22 agenda lists the case for closed session with the words Mediated Settlement Agreement & Mutual Release; its Sept. 8 and Sept. 15 agendas said Mediation Settlement Agreement, and the draft Sept. 8 minutes record no action after closed session. No ruling on the injunction has been published.
Friday, Sept. 25, 7 p.m.: Bearcats vs. Arlington Martin, Tim Buchanan Stadium
What you can do. Kickoff 7 p.m.; tickets and the clear-bag list on the game-day page.
Where it stands: Aledo is 2-2 overall and 1-0 in District 3-6A after a 69-0 win at Granbury on Sept. 18, per MaxPreps; Arlington Martin, 4-0 per MaxPreps, comes to Tim Buchanan Stadium Sept. 25 at 7 p.m.
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