Aledo Council Chambers, 200 Old Annetta Road
Work session: new state law strips the city's power to permit or inspect food trucks, and the ordinance will be rewritten
The city attorney recommended dropping permits, moving zoning rules into the development code and reconsidering bathroom and hours requirements; the council asked for amendments and clarity on fire inspections.
The Aledo City Council held a work session July 16, 2026, at 5:34 p.m. at 200 Old Annetta Road with Mayor Shane Davis, Mayor Pro Tem Summer Jones and Councilmembers Todd Covington, Matthew Poston and Melanie Allen present; Councilmember Ben Clark arrived at 5:42 p.m.
City Manager Candice Edmondson briefed the council on House Bill 2844 and Senate Bill 1008, which shift permitting and licensing of mobile food vendors to the Texas Department of State Health Services. Under the new law a city may not permit, inspect or license food truck vendors, prevent or restrict a food truck from operating, set operating hours, require agreements with other businesses, or conduct fire and food safety inspections. A city may still restrict noisemaking devices above 75 decibels, keep mobile vendors out of public parks, prohibit blocking access to private property, create a metered parking pass for a fee, investigate foodborne illness reports, report suspected violations to the state, and cite violations of local laws that do not conflict with the act.
City Attorney Alicia Kreh recommended removing permitting requirements from the current ordinance, putting zoning requirements in the UDC rather than in Chapter 14 to avoid inconsistencies, noted that limiting a food truck's hours is questionable though food truck park hours are likely acceptable, and said some cities are removing bathroom requirements. A resident asked that food trucks be allowed in residential areas. After questions about whether the city can require or perform fire inspections, the council asked staff to return with amendments to the food truck ordinance and clarification on fire inspections. No action was taken, and the session adjourned at 6:04 p.m.
Sources: City of Aledo: approved minutes, July 16, 2026 (CivicClerk); City of Aledo: agenda, July 16, 2026 (CivicClerk); City of Aledo meetings portal
How this was sourced: Primary documents: the approved minutes and the posted agenda of the July 16, 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.