The Aledo Ledger Friday, September 4, 2026

Aledo Municipal Complex, 200 Old Annetta Road

EDC replaces its grant programs with the Aledo Community Enhancement grant and approves the Your Personal Chef agreement after a hearing

The consolidated ACE program caps matching grants at $10,000, so a separate public art program is being drafted for larger installations.

The Aledo Economic Development Corporation board met May 26, 2026, at the Aledo Municipal Complex with President Shane Davis and members Amanda Wimpee, Matthew Pruitt and Ryan Hays present. After a public hearing at which no one spoke, the board unanimously approved the Your Personal Chef economic development agreement; City Manager Candice Edmondson said the board had approved it at the previous meeting but a hearing was required, and that the City Council had approved it on first reading.

Community Services Director Erika Cooper-Bateman presented a Building Improvement Grant program developed from the board's feedback to replace the existing incentive programs with a single framework. After Edmondson led a discussion of names, the board settled on the Aledo Community Enhancement (ACE) Grant Program and unanimously approved the updated incentive program under that name.

Edmondson presented a draft public art policy, explaining that the ACE program's public art option is limited to matching grants up to $10,000, which suits smaller projects, while the proposed Aledo Public Art Program would create a broader framework for larger installations and partnerships among the city, the EDC, businesses, developers and property owners. The item was for discussion, and the board asked that a resolution come back for formal consideration.

Laura Weber previewed the 2026 Summer Blast, including a newly secured opening act, an LED dance floor, a bubble artist and disco performers, Myser Orthodontics' sponsorship of the Kids Zone, the food truck layout and the closing fireworks show. The board approved the April 28 minutes, met in executive session on Dean Ranch and downtown development, returned at 6:43 p.m. with no action, and adjourned.

Sources: City of Aledo: approved minutes, May 26, 2026 (CivicClerk); City of Aledo: agenda, May 26, 2026 (CivicClerk); City of Aledo meetings portal

How this was sourced: Primary documents: the approved minutes and the posted agenda of the May 26, 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 Economic Development Corporation ยท Topics: What has Aledo decided about the Dean Ranch development?; Can the City of Aledo regulate food trucks?; What incentives does the Aledo EDC offer?

LedgerAt a glance
Aledo Community Enhancement (ACE) Grant
Approved, replaces facade, sign and infrastructure programs
Public art matching grants under ACE
Up to $10,000
Your Personal Chef agreement
Approved after public hearing, unanimous

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More from Aledo Economic Development Corporation

All meeting reports

Aledo Municipal Complex, 200 Old Annetta Road

EDC board workshops its incentive programs with the Texas Economic Development Council and moves the Your Personal Chef rebate forward

Aledo was named a 2026 cohort city in the Texas Historical Commission's First Street Initiative, and the comprehensive plan steering committee will meet nine times.

Sources: City of Aledo: approved minutes, March 24, 2026 (CivicClerk); City of Aledo: agenda, March 24, 2026 (CivicClerk); City of Aledo meetings portal