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Amarillo staff propose $569.6 million budget with public‑safety raises, new street fund and wastewater design grant
Summary
City staff presented a proposed $569.6 million FY25‑26 budget that funds raises for police and firefighters, implements a pay study for civilian staff, moves street maintenance into a new enterprise fund and includes up to $25 million in grant funding for preliminary wastewater facility design.
The City of Amarillo’s proposed fiscal year 25‑26 budget totals $569,600,000, Chief Financial Officer Laura Storrs told the mayor and council during a workshop. The package, staff said, supports roughly 2,400 full‑time employees and funds more than 250 programs and services across the city.
Storrs said the draft includes targeted pay adjustments: a 5 percent increase for sworn police officers, 4 percent for sworn firefighters and a pay‑study implementation for civilian positions amounting to about $2.2 million. She said the budget also proposes a 2 percent cost‑of‑living adjustment plus up to 2 percent in merit for civilian staff as a separate line item for council to adjust during workshops.
The proposed plan would pull street maintenance out of the general fund into a new enterprise fund with a dedicated revenue source; staff estimated that change would create about $15 million in street‑maintenance revenue and help protect street dollars from other general fund demands. Storrs described the move as structural protection, not an immediate increase in service levels.
On capital, Storrs highlighted a large anticipated grant: “We have $25,000,000 in grant funds to help the design of the wastewater treatment facilities,” she said, adding that additional federal and state grant conversations were ongoing. The draft also budgets for several debt issuances that staff said would fund fire apparatus, fleet replacements and street projects; those borrowings would raise the interest‑and‑sinking portion of the tax rate if issued.
Council members pressed staff for more breakout materials — including clear lists of interfund transfers, actuals versus prior budgets and the breakdown of which departments will pay charges as functions are moved into enterprise and internal‑service funds. Storrs agreed to provide more detailed handouts and to return with refined numbers.
The council did not take action; staff said the schedule calls for additional budget workshops and a formal property‑tax not‑to‑exceed rate to be set as part of the statutory timeline in August and September.
