Amarillo council adopts airport reinvestment zone, several contracts and clarifying election resolutions

The Amarillo City Council on July 8 adopted an ordinance creating a Chapter 312 reinvestment zone at 10801 Baker Street near the airport and approved a package of contracts and resolutions, voting 3-0 on each item.

The council first held a public hearing and approved Ordinance No. 8201 to designate roughly 3.5 acres northeast of the airport as a reinvestment zone, a procedural step that allows the city to later consider a tax abatement request from International Aerospace Coatings for a planned hangar complex and related improvements. Drew Brasfield, assistant director of planning, said the company anticipates more than $12,000,000 in site, utility and equipment investment. The ordinance was approved following the public hearing; the designation itself creates an option for future incentives but does not commit the city to a tax abatement.

The council also: - Approved a temporary staffing services contract for the Amarillo Civic Center to pay for event load-in, set-up and tear-down labor; staff said the cost is covered by civic-center event revenue and hotel-occupancy-tax receipts rather than the general fund. - Awarded a $3.8 million street-maintenance construction contract that staff said will fund Cape Seal, microsurfacing and mill-and-overlay work across multiple arterial corridors. Staff said maps and schedules will be posted online as the work progresses. - Approved Change Order No. 2 to the automated meter infrastructure (AMI) contract, adding meters, transmitters and related work at an estimated cost increase of $2.7 million. Staff said the project remains on track for completion by Dec. 31, 2025, and that the AMI program is 72% complete (about 57,000 of roughly 79,000 meters installed). The change order uses Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) funding; staff said roughly $2.1 million of TWDB loan funding would remain after this change order. - Awarded a professional-services agreement to Public Sector Search Consulting to lead the Amarillo Police Department chief search; the firm’s fee was listed at $42,500 plus expenses, and staff said the firm will conduct stakeholder interviews, surveys and candidate outreach. - Adopted two clarifying resolutions to incorporate supporting materials into the record for May 3 and June canvass actions; the city manager said the resolutions add voting tabulations and certificates to the public record and do not change the election outcomes.

Votes and motions generally passed on 3-0 voice votes. Public comment preceding the council’s actions included repeated calls from two speakers alleging the city had not lawfully canvassed recent elections; Michael S. Ford warned of legal exposure and urged the council to reopen the canvass, and Mike Fisher raised concerns about emailed election materials and the security of electronic records. Council members and staff characterized the two resolutions as steps to ensure the public record is complete.

Why it matters: The reinvestment-zone designation preserves a local tool to negotiate tax abatements that can influence where manufacturing and aviation-related jobs locate. The AMI change order and street-maintenance award reflect multi‑million-dollar infrastructure programs already underway; the police‑chief search and civic‑center contract concern city services that affect public safety and tourism revenue. The election‑related resolutions and the public comments that preceded them underscore continuing public scrutiny of the city’s election recordkeeping and canvass procedures.

What’s next: The tax‑abatement negotiation, if pursued, would return to council at a later date with any proposed abatement terms. Staff said the AMI project will return with final change-order reconciliation late this year and that the street‑maintenance schedule and maps will be posted online as contractors begin work.