EPCL OCT 24, 2023

On September 28, 2023, we received notice from the Aledo City Secretary stating that no records were found for our FOIA/PIR request regarding the EPCL. However, on October 6, 2023, we were provided with multiple documents totaling over 100 pages. All documents related to the library have been posted on this site for your review.

In a secondary email, we received text relevant to the library, as the original documents were illegible. We have attached these texts, which involve Councilwoman/EPCL Library President Shawna Ford and Aledo City Manager Noah Simon.

A notable incident occurred on June 8, 2023, when Councilwoman Shawna Ford brought to the City Manager's attention that Councilman Christian Pearson had sold his .... 

Regrettably, we lack a copy of the response, but it's likely that they communicated directly. We will request the remaining text messages under FOIA/PIA.

On October 10, 2022, an email from City Manager Noah Simon to Councilwoman Shawna Ford requested a meeting or discussion regarding the MOU, possibly involving the library board. Mr. Simon also mentioned discussions with a company that manages libraries during his time at TML.

A crucial email from December 10, 2022, indicated that the City Manager and Councilwoman Shawna Ford discussed the approval of the library agreement and the associated financials. It mentioned transitioning the accounting to Doug Martel, the contract CFO for the City of Aledo, suggesting taxpayers' involvement in the EPCL's finances.

On February 10, 2023, an email from City Manager Noah Simon to Councilwoman\EPCL President Shawna Ford mentioned a Total Project Cost of $1,255,000 for the library, though the Library Concept Sketch was not provided.

An email on June 1, 2023, from Amber Karkauskas, City of Aledo Director of Administrator Services, to Council member Ford discussed the FY2024 Library Budget. Oddly, discussions were taking place about a library that technically did not exist. This raised questions about the involvement of other Council members.

On September 4, 2023, an email from EPCL President Shawna Ford to the EPCL Board, including City Manager Noah Simon and Councilman\EPCL Board Member Nelson Rowls, discussed EPCL updates. This was closely timed with the Aledo City Council's approval of the library budget, suggesting prior knowledge.

A September 16, 2023 email from Mrs. Ford discussed the library budget of $117,656 for approximately half a year. This implied an annual library budget of $235,312, with $91,331 allocated for personnel for same time period.

Notably, it seems that The City of Aledo has incurred $336,875 in charges from Randal Scott Architects for redesigning City Hall to accommodate the library. 

City Hall will be requesting City Council to approve this funding this Thursday, OCT 26, 2023. Our concern is City Council has not officially approved the EPCL project. However, we are already spending hundreds of thousands of tax payer dollars on this venture.

The agenda for the OCT 26, 2023 Regular Council Meeting can be found here" https://www.aledotx.gov/mayor-council/agenda/october-rcc-meeting you can find the agenda item D.

We have provided totals for estimated design cost, annual library budget cost, annual personnel cost, and the total project cost for the library. This begs the question about City Manager, Noah Simon's role in this project and why this was not and has not been communicated to the public.

Totals are as follows:

$336,875 - Estimated Design Cost (Do ponder on this for a moment)

$235,312 - 12 months of library budget cost

$182,662 - 12 months of personnel cost

$1,255,000 - Total Project Cost for the library.

This situation highlighted the absence of a police department in Aledo, raising questions about the allocation of funds surrounding our supposed, "inability to afford one."

In conclusion, the lengthy discussions surrounding the library raised concerns about the transparency of the process and its financial implications for the taxpayers. It appears as though Aledo was already heavily invested in a project prior to it being officially approved, prompting questions about the motivations behind this endeavor and whether it truly served the best interests of the community.

Our key takeaways are that discussions surrounding the library have persisted for a significant amount of time. Taxpayers, who fund the City Manager's salary, have a substantial stake in a project that hasn't received official approval. 

This situation prompts us to question whether it might be one of the factors contributing to the disarray in our water bills. We believe the City Manager's focus should have been on day-to-day tasks rather than functioning as Mayor Nick Stanley's personal developer.

Notably, there have been reports in the past suggesting that the Mayor's business partners or associates are actively pursuing the purchase of properties surrounding the library. 

Furthermore, there is compelling evidence to indicate that Councilwoman Shawna Ford played a significant role in designing this library. It raises the valid question of why the City Council was not more actively engaged in the decision-making process. Is this, in fact, her personal project?

Inescapably, we are now deeply entrenched in the library business, despite a lack of formal approval. The driving force behind this appears to be the Mayor's desire to free up that particular property, ostensibly with a better understanding of our community's needs than the rest of us.

It remains perplexing that we were not privy to any communication from the Mayor, nor were the attachments included in the email exchanges shared with us. 

This serves as yet another illustration of Nick Stanley's efforts to Cultivate Aledo according to his vision.