The Growth Ledger

The Growth Ledger is the weekly record of what is being built, decided and taxed in the Aledo ISD footprint. This fifth edition updates the Sept. 25 edition from documents read in the Sept. 27 review: the Aledo City Council's Oct. 1 agendas and packet (with the Sept. 17 minutes), the Sept. 3 draft minutes in the Sept. 17 packet, the Willow Park Sept. 22 packet, the Aledo ISD Sept. 22 board memos on BoardBook, the state's construction registrations, the Comptroller's permit list, the county's tax-rate postings, the Forest Service burn-ban list and MaxPreps. Rows are pulled from the government sources linked in each row and checked by an editor before publication.

Rates are per $100 of taxable value, from each unit's own truth-in-taxation posting, agenda or minutes. Units with a dash have not yet posted an adopted-rate notice for 2026; the Ledger pulls these as they are certified. Run your own number in the 2026 tax estimator.

Public and private projects the Ledger is tracking through permits, plats and agendas. Status reflects the most recent public record we could find.

From the 2022 demographer report to Aledo ISD. The district said these five subdivisions would account for the bulk of enrollment growth through 2031. The Ledger will replace these projections with permit counts once the city and county permit feeds are running.

• WalshMaster-planned community on the Fort Worth side of the district; with Morningstar and Parks of Aledo, about 2,800 new homes by fall 2026 Source
• MorningstarIncluded in the 2,800-home figure above Source
• Parks of AledoIncluded in the 2,800-home figure above Source
• Dean RanchWith Veale Ranch and the three above, 9,500-plus housing occupancies expected by 2031 Source
• Veale RanchIncluded in the 9,500-plus figure above Source

Compiled from local reporting for the launch edition; the rows below it are from the Comptroller's Active Sales Tax Permit Holders dataset for the footprint, pulled Sept. 27. Addresses are shown only for permits at commercial addresses.

• City of Aledo FY 2025-2026 budget amendment (proposed)Ordinance 2026-O-26, with a public hearing Oct. 1, would raise revenue appropriations across all funds by $1,831,476 and expenditure appropriations by $1,658,469, a net $173,007 to fund balance, per the Sept. 25 memo from Zactax: General Fund revenues and expenditures each rise $770,895, with sales tax $310,399 over budget and current property tax reduced $151,114 to actual collections; the Water & Wastewater Fund shows a planned use of fund balance of $239,345; the TIRZ Fund's property tax increment rises to $474,937 against a $170,000 budget. Ordinance 2026-O-27 adopts the FY 2027 fee schedule, effective Oct. 1, 2026. Aledo Oct. 1 council packet, budget amendment memo and Exhibit A
• Willow Park water rates and El Chico Pump StationA fiscal 2026-27 utility fee ordinance on the Sept. 22 agenda leaves water base rates and wastewater rates unchanged and proposes residential volumetric charges of $4.13, $5.17, $6.44 and $8.20 per 1,000 gallons across four tiers, with residential and senior deposits rising from $100 to $150; the council is also asked to authorize Jacob & Martin Engineering to solicit bids to replace the El Chico Pump Station ground storage tank. Willow Park Sept. 22 packet, briefing sheets
• Ross Fire and burn banParker County remains on the Texas A&M Forest Service burn-ban list, 216 counties on the list stamped 9/26/2026 8:23:40 AM (218 on the list stamped 9/23/2026 11:35:17 AM). Ross Fire figures last checked in the Sept. 13 review: 90,400 acres, 83% contained as of InciWeb's Sept. 12 update. Texas A&M Forest Service; InciWeb
• Axon contract, police departmentA 10-year restructured contract at $829,576.12 ($79,785.94 in year one, $83,310.02 a year after), covering 16 officers and 6 vehicles, passed Sept. 3 with Todd Covington casting a dissenting vote, per the draft minutes in the Sept. 17 packet; FY 2027 budgets $83,000 for year one. Sept. 3 council packet; Sept. 3 draft minutes in the Sept. 17 packet
• Water main break, Bailey Ranch Rd. near Champions Dr.Wednesday, July 8: loss of pressure triggered a TCEQ-required boil-water notice for the mapped area; samples submitted July 9. NBC 5 DFW
• Sheriff's contractTwo Parker County deputies cover Aledo from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.; the renewal, Oct. 1, 2026 to Sept. 30, 2027 at $18,030.50 a month for 4,000 hours, passed Sept. 3 by unanimous vote per the draft minutes in the Sept. 17 packet, and the chief's memo says the city expects its own 24-hour coverage in January 2027. Willow Park's Sept. 8 consent agenda carried its own jail agreement (per diem rising to $103.26 on Oct. 1, 2026) and dispatch agreement ($126,240.01 for FY 2026-2027) with the sheriff's office. Sept. 3 Aledo council packet; Willow Park Sept. 8 agenda packet
• DroughtFort Worth in moderate drought since Aug. 11; more than a month without measurable rain across North Texas as of Sept. 2. Fort Worth Report / NWS
• Ozone Action DayTCEQ declared an Ozone Action Day for Dallas-Fort Worth on Tuesday, Sept. 1. Weatherford Democrat
• Data centersProposals around Parker County have surprised residents in affected areas, and the governor has called for limits on construction in rural neighborhoods; the Ledger is tracking any filings inside the district footprint. The Community News

Sources are linked in every row. Figures that come from a projection are labeled as projections. Where a record has not yet been confirmed, the cell says so. Corrections: editor@aledoledger.com.