Elisha Demerson spoke today about how “great it is to be in Amarillo” these days.
He mentioned a couple of things that deserve attention.
One thingĀ the freshman Amarillo City Council memberĀ told the Rotary Club of Amarillo is that downtown Amarillo is progressing nicely. He took particular note of the convention hotel and parking garage that are under construction.
Downtown is being reshaped, reconfigured and revitalized.
The other thing Demerson said is quite instructive. He said the city has the “second-lowest tax rate” of any city in Texas. It’s less than 40 cents per $100 in property valuation.
What does that mean?
It means to me that the city’s intense push toward public-private partnerships is paying off.
I’ve noted before how so much of downtown’s progress in recent years has come with the help of private investment. Banks have spent their own capital to expand operations downtown; the historic Fisk Building was converted into a hotel, again with private money. Storefronts that once were dark now are full of life.
Is there more work to do? Certainly. That’s why the progress we’ve seen shouldn’t be derailed.
It makes me wonder yet again: What was all that anger during the 2015 municipal election campaign all about?
The city retains a ridiculously low municipal tax rate while its downtown business district is showing palpable, tangible, observable signs of progress.