The Aledo Ledger Friday, September 4, 2026

Aledo Council Chambers, 200 Old Annetta Road

Council creates a Library Advisory Board, cancels the May election after candidates go unopposed, and previews new engineering design standards

Two more development-code amendments passed: placard limits for historic pole signs with criteria for downtown monument signs, and definitions for adult stores, cash-advance establishments, pawn shops and vape shops.

The Aledo City Council met March 5, 2026, at 200 Old Annetta Road with Mayor Shane Davis, Mayor Pro Tem Shawna Ford and Councilmembers Todd Covington and Summer Jones present and Councilmember Ben Clark absent. No one came forward during citizen appearances.

On the consent agenda, the council accepted the certification of unopposed candidates and approved Ordinance No. 2026-O-11 canceling the May 2, 2026, general election, along with the Feb. 19 minutes.

Erika Cooper-Bateman presented Ordinance No. 2026-O-14 creating a Library Board to advise the council on library planning, programming, policies and long-term needs, working alongside the library director, with the council keeping all final decision-making authority. Ford recommended that members be library patrons for at least a year; Covington raised concerns about the board's duties and composition. The council unanimously approved the ordinance creating a Library Advisory Board with four amendments: members must be current library card holders; at least four regular members must be City of Aledo residents; one regular member and one alternate may be non-residents if they currently have a child enrolled in and attending Aledo ISD.

After public hearings at which no one spoke, the council unanimously approved Ordinance No. 2026-O-12, setting the maximum area and number of placards for historic decorative pole signs and establishing criteria for Specific Use Permits for monument signs in the Downtown district, and Ordinance No. 2026-O-13, adding definitions of adult store, cash advance establishment, pawn shop and vape/CBD shop to the Unified Development Code. Grant Fore of the Berkley Group said the Planning and Zoning Commission had recommended both unanimously on Feb. 12, 2026.

Dylan Swoboda of Kimley-Horn presented a revised Design Standards Manual reflecting current engineering practice for water, sanitary sewer, street and storm drainage infrastructure. The updates establish requirements for traffic impact studies with a threshold analysis worksheet, clarify downstream storm drainage assessment and calculation requirements, update water and sewer standards including minimum pipe sizes and material requirements, and add a section on easement requirements. It was for discussion only, with a final version due back for adoption April 2. City Manager Candice Edmondson also presented a proposed park and facility naming policy for comment before the April meeting.

The council met in executive session from 7:14 to 7:35 p.m. on the posted topics of the Dean Ranch development conversation, Grand Prairie v. State, Aledo and Fort Worth v. Willow Park, and downtown development, took no action, and adjourned at 7:35 p.m.

Sources: City of Aledo: approved minutes, March 5, 2026 (CivicClerk); City of Aledo: agenda, March 5, 2026 (CivicClerk); City of Aledo meetings portal

How this was sourced: Primary documents: the approved minutes and the posted agenda of the March 5, 2026 meeting on the city's CivicClerk portal. Every vote, number and name above appears in those documents; the Ledger did not review a recording of the meeting. Public commenters who are not officials are not named. Written Sept. 4, 2026, for the archive.

Filed under Aledo City Council ยท Topics: What has Aledo decided about the Dean Ranch development?; What has the city decided about the library?; What is Aledo doing about water and sewer capacity?; What changed in Aledo's development code?; When are Aledo's city and school elections?; What has the Aledo council done in the Willow Park lawsuit?

LedgerAt a glance
May 2 election
Canceled, candidates unopposed (2026-O-11)
Library Advisory Board
Created with four membership amendments (2026-O-14)
Signage
Ordinance 2026-O-12, unanimous
Use definitions
Ordinance 2026-O-13, unanimous

Spot an error? Write to editor@aledoledger.com. Corrections run at the top of the next edition and on the corrections page.

More from Aledo City Council

All meeting reports

Aledo Council Chambers, 200 Old Annetta Road

Council adopts the 2026 certified tax roll, proposes a $0.352415 rate, and tables the Friends of the Library agreement

The certified taxable value is $1,057,685,374; the roll carries $41,014,945 in new improvements and no value under protest; the TIF zone's incremental value is $69,846,799. The tax-rate hearing was set for Aug. 20.

Sources: City of Aledo: approved minutes, Aug. 6, 2026 (CivicClerk); City of Aledo: agenda, Aug. 6, 2026 (CivicClerk); City of Aledo meetings portal