City continues to grow

When Aledo’s City Council assembled for their regularly monthly meeting on Thursday, June 22, the emphasis was heavily placed upon dealing with increased responsibilities the council has taken on. 

Tom Bryson, Vice President and Public Sector Practice Leader for Cooksey Communications, kicked off the meeting by providing the representatives of the city’s strategic communications plan. A significant component to that plan put to the council was the suggestion to hire a full-time communications person to the city’s payroll. 

Bryson, along with City Manager Noah Simon, collaborated on a potential job requisition for the person who would take over the responsibilities of being the voice for the city. The vision Bryson and Simon laid out for the role would include driving messaging out to the residents of Aledo and engaging with the community by creating dialogue with local businesses, homeowners associations and residents. 

The proposition for hiring a full-time communications person was put before the council, where it was quickly approved. Simon added the application for the role is expected to be put online in early July.

Next up to the podium was Preston Scott, Principal Architect of Randall Scott Architects, with an update on the new city hall project. Scott advised the council his team is currently working with a construction management firm to ensure the prices they get on materials for the project keep them on budget.

Scott presented a detailed update to plans for the new structure, which will replace the current city hall at the intersection of FM 1187 and Old Annetta Road. Originally, the mockup of the new city hall allowed for a number of flex spaces to accommodate growth as the community continues to develop going forward. 

One of those flex spaces directly across from the new council chambers ended up being the size the city library needed. New plans have the city library moving into the city hall adjacent to the council chambers on the first floor just inside the main entrance of the building.

Once the project is completed, Aledo’s police department will be housed on the backside of the building once the department is established. The police department will include a gated parking area for cruisers and an entrance that is separate from the rest of city hall.

Preston stated the space inside the building is designed to be like a Swiss Army Knife. As the city continues to grow, areas within the building will be able to be rearranged to accommodate changing needs of the community. If the police department requires its own facility in the future, the vacated space can be utilized for something else without undergoing a significant construction project or costing taxpayers a significant amount of money.

The final order of business during the three-hour marathon session was presented by Mayor Nick Stanley. He proposed adding a second scheduled city council meeting each month as a measure to combat all the emergency meetings from the last several months and to reduce the amount of time the council spends in each meeting. 

A second scheduled meeting will benefit members of the council with consistency in their schedule. It will also provide city employees with an opportunity to establish a routine with their preparation for each meeting, which is presently lacking as they must prepare for emergency meetings. 

Members of the council were receptive to adding a second meeting each month, though no official decisions were made during the June meeting.