Council reviews budget priorities including My Amarillo call center, 5% water‑and‑sewer bump, solid‑waste fee and civic center investments

Amarillo city staff delivered a working draft of next year’s budget on Aug. 11, telling the mayor and council they must choose among new positions, targeted rate increases and one‑time capital projects while finishing a multiyear capital program already in progress.

The City Manager’s office and departmental leads emphasized three near‑term choices: (1) formalize and expand “My Amarillo,” the city’s consolidated customer call center and digital intake; (2) hold a 5% increase to water and sewer rates that staff says will fund one‑time water/wastewater capital work and start rebuilding reserves; and (3) adopt a 7% increase to residential and commercial solid‑waste fees to pay for a long‑planned dumpster renewal program and a new in‑house demolition crew to remove dangerous vacant residential structures.

Why it matters: the proposals mix operating and capital responses to persistent service gaps—customer response times, aging wastewater facilities, and a backlog of vacant homes and worn trash infrastructure—while trying to limit recurring pressure on the city’s general fund and on ratepayers.

My Amarillo: separate fund, more staff

City staff described My Amarillo as a growing internal service that began inside utility billing and now supports many departments. Leaders asked council to approve creating a standalone internal service fund for the operation and to fund a substantial staffing increase. Staff said My Amarillo now houses roughly 18 dedicated employees transferred from utility billing and asked for 14 additional positions (roughly 32 employees when fully staffed) to onboard more departments and to absorb some non‑emergency public‑safety calls currently routed to the emergency communications center. Staff reported roughly $2.1 million in current revenues connected to calls and support work and noted utility billing presently carries the lion’s share of the cost.

Under the plan My Amarillo would bill client departments — water & sewer, streets, parks, public safety and the general fund — for its services rather than drawing those costs directly from water customers. Staff recommended an internal service fund as a best‑practice accounting model; councilors asked for a short memo…