Council backs two EDGE grants to support new Ace Hardware and Max & Louise diner

Council approved not-to-exceed EDGE grant awards recommended by the Economic Development Corporation for two incoming businesses: River City Ace Hardware and Max & Louise New York Diner.

During Citizens to Be Heard, Amy Reynolds (Chamber board director) urged council to approve agenda items 12f and 12g, telling members those two firms "are investing over $6,000,000 in our city and providing almost 200 jobs." The applicants spoke in support: an Ace representative described selecting Cibolo after a multi‑city site search and outlined a personal investment and a 10‑year lease; Max & Louise's representative (Drew) said, "Our personal investment in the store is about $2,000,000 of cash… We've got another $4,000,000 that's invested in a 10 year lease… We hope to hire 40 to 50 people over the next year." Economic development staff noted the EDC board unanimously approved the awards and recommended council approval under a special‑circumstances provision.

Council motions to approve each EDGE award (items 12f and 12g) were made and seconded on the record; staff said invoices will be verified before payment and that grants are intended to be proportionate to private investment. The grants were described as not-to-exceed $50,000 each and tied to documented project costs.

Next steps: Staff will verify paid invoices and process grant disbursements per EDC policies; council directed staff to continue tracking local job creation and follow-up performance reporting from grantees.