[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6472657,"mediaKeyId","5776037-5514f76b48c19bfac70c77a39ac9a01a","parentId",5776037,"title","AEDC reports balanced 2025 budget projection; council accepts report","audioSeconds",190,"startMs",5573000,"endMs",5763000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5776037-5514f76b48c19bfac70c77a39ac9a01a&start=5573&end=5763","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5776037-5514f76b48c19bfac70c77a39ac9a01a/thumbnail_5573000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6472657/Amarillo/Potter-County/Texas/AEDC-reports-balanced-2025-budget-projection-council-accepts-report","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6472657-619e3eb8fd77377f2954b61aa5a27bb4/orig.mp4?Expires=1770450952&Signature=iVo~5rfCte7lafKVf5a7o36wdLun11GZFmkSSz3~FiwRCil9tBfmVqYoigUmQVgBmCTm5tSn0iSMjHdGZ~~75YfAIPnrpBvfjN-zEPo8v9p3-BlZzJCCv-xE39kgya2ACSA-vAc3sTPKbfLsExV99qCdssYa61zqPERM2DWbGWudXkhV50u4Bw56F5FI5GbJrzE8a67BX5CfubZKO1b6S6s2UPtjtXGdCz95Vq182KNce5tK6q0H~jGVDyDMDUyvUmVxz4lZ6PbsqDI-cnQ9ZZMeuytAdZY~U1mHls7OvMJz~l13hXaw12qP8MfKumSKgFfNKrsVyaNlDDbFHB13Gg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Amarillo","date","2025-09-16T00:00:00Z","article","Doug Nelson presented the Amarillo Economic Development Corporation (AEDC) proposed budget and the council voted to accept item 3a at the Sept. 16 meeting.

Nelson said AEDC expects roughly $30.1 million in total revenue next fiscal year, split between an operations fund (12% of sales tax receipts, about $3.45 million) and a project fund (88% of sales tax receipts, about $26.7 million). Nelson told council the combined projected expenses total about $26.4 million, producing net income in both funds. He said operational expenses of about $2.48 million would leave roughly $900,000 net for operations and the project fund would show about $3 million in net income, leaving AEDC \"sitting very well financially.\"

Council asked a brief question about previously approved monument signage and Nelson said earlier-approved sign dollars remain in the current budget but not specifically budgeted in the coming year; the line could be funded as a project or via marketing with a possible budget amendment later.

Outcome: Council accepted item 3a as presented; a motion to accept passed without recorded opposition.

Why it matters: AEDC's budget governs the agency's economic-development projects and use of sales-tax revenues. The project fund is the primary vehicle for larger development projects paid from the AEDC share of sales tax receipts.
","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Amarillo - City Council Special Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","Doug Nelson presented the Amarillo Economic Development Corporation's proposed 2025 budget showing $30.1 million in revenue and projected net income across operations and project funds; council accepted item 3a without recorded opposition.","taxTitle","Amarillo, Potter County, Texas","taxId",2812,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6472661,"Council accepts donation offer but defers final placement policy for \"Amarillo Cowboy\" statue",560,5153000,5713000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5776037-5514f76b48c19bfac70c77a39ac9a01a&start=5153&end=5713","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5776037-5514f76b48c19bfac70c77a39ac9a01a/thumbnail_5153000.jpg","/articles/6472661/Amarillo/Potter-County/Texas/Council-accepts-donation-offer-but-defers-final-placement-policy-for-Amarillo-Cowboy-statue","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6472661-d29c2c3267b8aac22e7f9a1f578610f8/orig.mp4?Expires=1770450952&Signature=NYOk0yDuEuYC~6tGkR99eQ369NDwL7juMk~3L~uukAZzvpBju7K3QvFWg2spjkqPrxSBvolV5LGYMX-YJYuOa50DzOEKoTQ~Drc2jCc1VVJv3mZxPVbRtLNOwqzmyWsm-ZUUnCExB7VsA2AmXG2tCyjKqKg8z3d~RvVWqaC~8l-jJ6-~XVzXnrMrUOoh5bHO~zAdNYnIGvLv4~5OraNib2WLunVN4J63Dg1kXu3JEEH2FJh1dhQNqij45aeuhxDWGjxYZZtBR4oUnjYoD~6SlF069-9viAVuAWN~UzExysdaqWUq6U2NyBHPMMLC-vUHBorc3K-fgtrMp0gueHK5FQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Amarillo City Council on Sept. 16 discussed a proposed donation of a bronze sculpture titled the \"Amarillo Cowboy,\" created by Jack Hill and offered by King and Diane Hill. The city's staff presentation described the work as a permanent gift intended for the third-floor foyer outside council chambers and said there would be no cost to the city for the artwork or its base.

Council members said they welcomed the donor's generosity but raised process questions and asked staff to prepare a formal policy covering gifts and artwork displayed in city-owned buildings. Councilman Simpson said, \"I personally, I'd rather let's let's have the policy in place before we accept anything,\" expressing concern about unintended precedents. Others suggested the council could accept the artwork now but withhold permanent placement until a policy is adopted; staff said the donor had expressed willingness to wait if necessary.

City staff said precedent is limited: previous donations (such as a Quanah Parker bust at the Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport) were accepted under different arrangements and did not involve displaying artwork in City Hall's newly renovated public areas. Staff suggested a policy should require presentation by an elected representative and allow council review of donations for consistency with the city's traditions and core values.

Outcome: Council took no final action on the donation at the Sept. 16 meeting and directed staff to draft a policy for council consideration, targeting a return of the item to the Oct. 14 agenda for final acceptance and potential unveiling. Staff noted an unveiling had been discussed for Sept. 23 but council members expressed a preference to finalize the policy first.

Why it matters: The discussion addresses how the city will vet and accept gifts for prominent public display in City Hall, balancing donor generosity with a desire for consistent public-policy standards. Councilmembers highlighted the need to protect the city from future disputes and to give all councilmembers and the public a clear process for acceptance and placement.
","Council members discussed a donated bronze statue by Jack Hill and agreed to accept the gift but postponed final policy and placement decisions, directing staff to draft a policy for council review; no final action taken at the Sept. 16 meeting.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6472665,"Staff recommends new medical, pharmacy and ancillary carriers in benefits RFP; city projects ~$2.6M savings",1330,4230000,5560000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5776037-5514f76b48c19bfac70c77a39ac9a01a&start=4230&end=5560","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5776037-5514f76b48c19bfac70c77a39ac9a01a/thumbnail_4230000.jpg","/articles/6472665/Amarillo/Potter-County/Texas/Staff-recommends-new-medical-pharmacy-and-ancillary-carriers-in-benefits-RFP-city-projects-26M-savings","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6472665-1dc326152576a1c201f81b39a60eaa11/orig.mp4?Expires=1770450952&Signature=IavAEFgQvYVzNQtVYLqbPp1zk6Jqq9C1EfLz-alNOyWT934eVqpsaxVMIfB-vmnmvM4TjWGWmpYmlet6CaeH9JSM-r9WjW5Q3y81lb8qdsi0mbvDfEIN9gafP4hI8sFx0sm-XMssbDlD7OfRu4zc7jWDqR9UunXmQqKX9CGm-k2GwxQ0jwsbJJQmYr6liUYZks7n3BKOp8gfXmNmKAcunjaEn-7IYYVWTeHuhocYEz214hNu2RaRrWKVZ~774RrA37qaNNEb3tqFh6IMM3ZJg2qVFDKq21h68BrTUADbOWvBra4OUrVeEqScXz1NeNYiyDX1gX9XV0XC6pKaHvVJRQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City staff on Sept. 16 briefed the Amarillo City Council on the results of a request for proposals (RFP) covering major medical, pharmacy and ancillary employee benefits and said staff will present formal contract recommendations at an upcoming meeting.

Mitch Norman, presenting for benefits staff, said the RFP process produced 28 carrier responses and that the evaluation committee and the city's benefits consultant (HUB International) scored bidders on price, administrative flexibility, quality of service, reporting and references. The committee recommended continuing medical administration with Aetna Life Insurance and moving pharmacy benefit administration to Rx Benefits Inc., administered through OptumRx. Staff also recommended changes for dental (to Delta Dental) and for several ancillary lines while retaining some current vendors for life, disability and ACA/FMLA administration.

Norman said some lines (short-term disability, FMLA administration and stop-loss insurance) required separate procurement attention; short-term disability had no successful bidder under RFP constraints and staff expects to reissue an RFP in 2026. Stop-loss insurance will be rebid near its 12/31 renewal date.

Council members praised staff and HUB for the evaluation work. A councilmember summarized expected savings from the recommended vendor mix as about $2.6 million (comment was framed as an estimate by council after seeing the repricing exercise). Norman cautioned that claims experience and rebates vary year to year; he said Amarillo's medical claims through July 2025 were roughly $9 million year-to-date and pharmacy claims roughly $6.4 million (gross, before rebates). Norman said administrative per-employee-per-month costs are lower in the recommended proposals and that changes would take effect Jan. 1, 2026, with open enrollment and vendor integration to follow.

Next steps: staff will post the item for council action at an upcoming meeting (the presentation anticipated a council action item on the Sept. 23 agenda), notify current vendors of nonrenewal, and proceed with open enrollment and technological integrations if council approves the recommendations.

Why it matters: The city's medical and pharmacy plans are variable-cost items that materially affect the fiscal outlook and employee benefits. Staff said the repricing exercise and vendor proposals indicate potential multi-million-dollar savings while maintaining benefits, but actual results will depend on claims and rebate performance.
","City staff presented a recommendation to award multiple lines in a benefits RFP including continuing Aetna for medical and switching pharmacy administration to Rx Benefits/OptumRx; council praised projected savings; formal action scheduled for a future meeting.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6472670,"Amarillo council adopts $557 million budget, raises city tax rate to 43.07 cents",1869,869000,2738000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5776037-5514f76b48c19bfac70c77a39ac9a01a&start=869&end=2738","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5776037-5514f76b48c19bfac70c77a39ac9a01a/thumbnail_869000.jpg","/articles/6472670/Amarillo/Potter-County/Texas/Amarillo-council-adopts-557-million-budget-raises-city-tax-rate-to-4307-cents","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6472670-2bbc969a18bcbd811b508dbe5d0b61a6/orig.mp4?Expires=1770450952&Signature=dYhjAMDvvUF53puQ9hbDqiWZYI9gkkNDdjW8Di803ImDpz3mcBYXqx7OvafBPRJ~nb5ymemK0p-BSZxOtkvUD3FyfwhAvPKDVZ8lJ24IWnnMV2FEEwW1B60atLig8LccQGlPBZrlYNIR9X5rfJz~sIwPrvEabLfNptzqztI3TGMGgAAHzZIdpuKkRNYZXXcxLnQTUHOLGnk52nxbIK6qnah-q~tXr-FMarKvsEAHob6GgMZ5ZpEY-rQPoOiLqv4azLRcxhQEFqGoSfgt6kJVfjzFsOA9NNtm90Hc6b~ni4q536bynnAHVqyOb6qtqV2x6LnXcc1Jg0b~5l2PZdQYxA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Amarillo City Council on Sept. 16 adopted a $557 million city budget for fiscal 2025–26 and approved a property tax rate of 43.07 cents per $100 of assessed value, a move the council said will raise more property tax revenue for operations. The votes were recorded as unanimous, 5-0.

The budget increase and tax-rate action fund a package of priorities city staff outlined during the public hearing: a new police officer and a new firefighter; a 4% wage increase for police and a 3% increase for firefighters; roughly $30 million in street capital projects; $36 million in water and sewer projects (including $25 million in grant funding to begin design of wastewater facilities); and continued funding for parks and a new women's clinic at the public health department. City staff said civilian employees would receive a 2% merit increase and a partial pay-study implementation, and retirees would receive a 70% TMRS cost-of-living adjustment.

Council and staff stressed that large pieces of the revenue increase are grant funds, not local tax dollars. City Secretary Mrs. Storrs said $25 million of the $36 million in water and sewer projects is grant funding to begin wastewater design work, and another $5 million in grant funding is proposed for a new emergency operations center.

The tax-rate change moves the city's portion of the property tax from about 38.723 cents to 43.07 cents per $100 of assessed value. Storrs told the public a homeowner with a $100,000 city portion of value would pay roughly $4 more per month; the average home in Potter and Randall counties, at about $278,000, would see an increase of roughly $11 per month on the city portion of the bill. Storrs and other staff repeatedly noted that Potter-Randall Appraisal District (PRAD) sets appraised values and the city cannot alter PRAD determinations.

Public commenters at the hearing urged caution about raising taxes. Kelsey Morgan, who said she lives inside the city, told the council, “I was here today to say that I was against the proposed property taxes increase.” Mike Fisher urged council to consider an adjusted tax-rate measure that accounts for taxes relative to income: “I urge you guys to look at that adjusted tax rate when you're considering, raising taxes.” Tim Benson, a longtime Amarillo resident, said funding priorities should favor seniors and questioned allocations to a homeless camp, asserting, “We've given 12,000,000 to the homeless camp.” Alan Feingold asked for more information about enterprise funds and asked staff to define the term \"enterprise\" as it applies to water, sewer and airport operations.

A new dangerous-structure removal team was included in the adopted budget and attracted detailed questions. City staff and the city manager described the program as an in-house capability to remove hazardous residential structures rather than relying on contractors; the city manager estimated the total program cost at about $1.8 million, including equipment, three solid-waste employees and one city marshal employee to manage properties. Staff said the program will be funded by a modest increase in solid-waste fees: single-family residential customers would see roughly a $0.92-per-month increase, and commercial customers would face about a 26.1% increase; staff said solid-waste billing changes would pay for the program rather than property-tax revenues.

Council members stressed trade-offs. One council member framed the choice in service terms: the city could leave condemned structures standing and avoid up-front costs but risk higher firefighting, criminal activity and blight costs over time.

Votes at a glance:
- Ordinance No. 82-18 (adopt 2025–26 city budget): motion to adopt recorded and passed, vote 5-0. Motion text (as read at the meeting): \"I moved adoption of ordinance number 82 18, adopting the budget for the fiscal year 10/01/2025 through 09/30/2026 for the city of Amarillo.\" (Record vote requested per state law.)
- Ordinance No. 82-19 (set 2025 ad valorem tax rate at 0.4307): motion to adopt recorded and passed, vote 5-0. Motion text (as read): \"I move that the property tax rate be increased by the adoption of a tax rate of 0.4307¢, which is effectively a 15.3% increase in the tax rate.\" (Record vote requested per state law.)
- Ratification of budget and tax rate (per Tex. Loc. Gov. Code sec. 102.007(c)): motion to ratify recorded and passed, vote 5-0.

Why it matters: The adopted budget and tax rate fund public-safety pay increases, capital work (streets, water/sewer), and the new dangerous-structure removal program. Staff emphasized the role of grant funding for the largest capital items and repeatedly told residents that appraisal determinations from the Potter-Randall Appraisal District affect individual tax bills independent of the city's rate.

Looking ahead: City staff said the budget and tax-rate ordinances will be in effect for the 2025 tax year and that implementation steps (including the dangerous-structure program rollout and capital project procurement) will proceed under department schedules. Staff also advised residents to consult amarillo.gov for full budget documents and detailed line items.
","On Sept. 16 the Amarillo City Council adopted the fiscal 2025–26 budget and set the city's property tax rate at 43.07 cents per $100 of assessed value to fund public safety raises, capital projects and wastewater design grants; both measures passed 5-0.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

AEDC reports balanced 2025 budget projection; council accepts report

Council accepts donation offer but defers final placement policy for "Amarillo Cowboy" statue

Staff recommends new medical, pharmacy and ancillary carriers in benefits RFP; city projects ~$2.6M savings

Amarillo council adopts $557 million budget, raises city tax rate to 43.07 cents