Regular City Council Meeting SEP 21, 2023

*EDIT* MEETING TONIGHT!

Police Department, Budget, and Library (Lions, Tigers, and Bears - Oh My!)

**The Cliff Notes:**

The City of Aledo's budget is difficult to comprehend, making it appear as though funds are being concealed and redirected.

Is the new library intended to be Councilwoman Shawna Ford's retirement job? Will she assume the role of librarian/director? What are the Mayor's and Cultivate Aledo's plans for the property?

With an Economic Development Committee (EDC) budget of 2.4 million dollars but no police department, it's worth noting that Willow Park has a police department with a budget of 1.9 million dollars.

Join us at the City Council Meeting tonight at 6 PM in the Community Center, where they will vote to adopt the budget.

**Details:**

**The Budget:**

Here is the proposed 2023-2024 budget for the City of Aledo: [Budget Link](https://www.aledotx.gov/.../proposed-fy-2023-2024-budget)

For comparison, here are the proposed budgets for Willow Park: [Willow Park Budget Link](https://www.willowparktx.gov/.../pages/fiscal-year-2023-2024) and Hudson Oaks: [Hudson Oaks Budget Link](https://hudsonoaks.com/.../hudson-oaks-fy-2024-budget.pdf).

When comparing these budgets side by side, it becomes evident that Aledo's budget lacks detailed information compared to the other two cities. Willow Park and Hudson Oaks present all items on a single page, while Aledo separates them. Pay close attention to pages 8 and 9. If you print these two pages, fold the edges, align them, and tape them together, you'll notice that we are budgeting the EDC (Economic Development Committee) over 2.4 million dollars with no detailed spending information. This is the largest EDC budget in Aledo's history. What is a typical EDC budget? Typically, it's 33 1/3 percent of sales tax revenue, which, in Aledo's case, would be about $500,000.

By performing the same process with pages 12 and 13, you'll find the new library budget.

The EDC has the means to offer EDC sales tax abatements to attract restaurants and drinking establishments but not to support public safety. We could decide to allocate funds from the EDC to public safety.

The EDC has the resources to maintain ownership of the train depot with the City of Aledo, preserving our heritage. However, it should be displayed prominently in downtown, rather than hidden behind Parsons Table with a private owner and our Mayor.

Guess who presides over the EDC and controls this budget? Our Mayor, Nick Stanley. Is this his "slush fund"? In theory, he could use this money for business trips with his partners to "improve Aledo" and have these expenses covered by the EDC.

**The Library:**

Troy Austin of Cultivate Aledo privately invited me to discuss "their vision." However, I believe public issues should be discussed publicly. Mr. Austin was previously a member of P&Z, and it is alleged that P&Z did not align with his ideologies at that time. If I understand correctly, Mr. Austin became frustrated, resigned from P&Z, and moved out of the city limits.

Mr. Austin did not deny the "Master Plan" he and his business partners have to purchase land around the library. This explains the city's rush to acquire the library or enter the library business. He also states that they shared their business plans with Nick Stanley before the election. He offered us a couple of videos.

Councilwoman Ford reached out to me privately and offered to answer any questions. However, I believe this is a public matter, and we should discuss it publicly. As an elected public official, it's no secret that she works at Region 11 as a librarian. A citizen shared that she overheard Mrs. Ford mentioning early retirement after a council meeting.

Is her plan to retire from Region 11, lead Aledo into the library business, resign after including a library in the budget, wait a year, and then become the library director in the new library at the new city hall in her hometown? This could indeed be a great retirement job.

Perhaps Mrs. Ford can publicly clarify whether this is her plan.

I am NOT against a library, and there's a straightforward solution: let the voters decide with a vote. However, I suspect they are avoiding a vote because if we reject it, no action can be taken on the library by the city for three years. Instead, Mrs. Ford and her supporters should work to turn the library into something rather than asking for a taxpayer-funded handout.

**Police Department:**

Oddly, we have 2.4 million for EDC and hundreds of thousands of dollars for a library but zero funds for a Police Department. This could become a significant financial issue if we do not have a Police Department.

With the use of FOIA, I've learned that the City of Aledo reached out to ALL surrounding cities to help establish a police department, but all have declined. In essence, another city would provide officers and equipment for 3-4 years.

Once we obtain our TCOLE accreditation, these cities would leave the officers and equipment, effectively providing us with a pre-established Police Department. This concept can be likened to a "PD in a box." Willow Park, however, was an exception. They offered $665,000 a year, including 3-4 officers and patrol cars. At the end of the contract, we would retain both the officers and the equipment.

However, the City Manager rejected this offer, stating that he would not pay more than $500,000 per year. Consequently, we find ourselves without a Police Department, with a mere $165,000 standing between us and having one. Let that sink in: we have 2.4 million dollars for the EDC and hundreds of thousands of dollars allocated for a library, yet we lack funds for a PD.

As a point of comparison, the City of Aledo currently pays the Parker County Sheriff's Department $300,000 to $400,000 per year. A side note: Mayor Nick Staley informed a resident a few weeks ago that we do not have a contract with the PCSD; we pay on a month-to-month basis. However, upon requesting a copy of the contract from PCSD, it was revealed that there is indeed a contract expiring on September 30th, and there is no month-to-month clause. This appears to be a recurring pattern with the mayor's statements.

There are several previously adopted city council projects that remain incomplete and have seemingly vanished from the budget. The current administration has informed citizens that these funds never existed and have even placed blame on previous administrations for dishonesty. The puzzling aspect is that no project would have been presented to the council for a vote if the funds did not exist. Could this be another narrative of the current Mayor and City Manager?

I

t is imperative that we attend the Council Meeting TONIGHT at 6 PM in the Community Center. This budget MUST not be adopted until the current administration provides transparency regarding past adopted projects that were not completed. We need answers regarding where this money went and a clear breakdown of the current budget. By adopting this budget, we are essentially providing our Mayor and City Manager with a blank check, as there is currently no accountability for how this money is to be allocated.

I continue to be perplexed by Troy Austin, the Mayor, and his business partners' master plan. Is Mr. Austin serving as our new City Planner? I will require more than a couple of videos to comprehend his master plan. Are they planning to donate their profits to charity? My guess is otherwise.

Stay tuned for further updates...

COA Purposed FY 2024 budget here

#DefendAledo #RulesForTheeAndNotForMe #RecallNickStanley