Tag Archives: Amarillo City Hall

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MPEV takes another step forward

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They’re starting to knock down a vacant building in downtown Amarillo.

What will take its place? City officials want the new occupant on the property next City Hall to be a ballpark where a minor-league team will play some hardball.

http://www.newschannel10.com/story/33652423/demolition-begins-on-coca-cola-building-to-make-way-for-mpev

It’s called for the moment a multipurpose event venue. There will be other activities taking place at this venue than just baseball. But the city is in the midst of negotiating for a relocation of the San Antonio Missions to Amarillo, where they would play ball in the $45 million venue.

It’s not a done deal just yet.

San Antonio is trying to lure a Class AAA team to replace the AA team that wants to relocate. In order for the Missions to head north, someone will have to take the field in the Alamo City.

Meanwhile, the now-vacant Coca-Cola distribution center is being knocked down in Amarillo. They’ll clear the lot of debris in short order.

Then it gets serious. The city needs a design. It needs a firm cost for the venue. It needs a team to suit up and take the field.

I will admit to skepticism that the current City Council would be able to move this project as far along as it has. It has proven me wrong — which at some level is no great shakes, given that I’m wrong more than I am right. I believe I had reason to be skeptical, given that the new council members had expressed some doubt about the wisdom of the entire project.

The demolition of the Coke center, though, does give me renewed hope that Amarillo’s downtown revival is proceeding more or less as projected.

We’ve got that hotel going up across Buchanan Street next to the parking garage. Voters will decide several propositions on their municipal ballot; one of them includes a proposed renovation and expansion of the Civic Center.

All we need now is an affiliated baseball team to sign on the dotted line. Then we need them ready to play ball.

My optimism is strong.

local news, Uncategorized

Atkinson needs to get back into the game

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I am pulling for Jarrett Atkinson.

The former Amarillo city manager is now in the running to become the chief administrator down yonder in Lubbock, Texas.

He was run out of a job he was doing well here. There’s no way to sugarcoat what happened to him in Amarillo. Voters elected three new City Council members in reaction to some sense of municipal “anger.” I’m still puzzled by the source of that alleged anger and angst.

Was he the perfect city manager? Did everything he touched turn to gold? No, but if you look at the big picture, you see a city that was on the move in the correct direction. Amarillo enjoyed steady growth, maintained a low tax rate, kept its debt obligation to a bare minimum. The city manager deserves a huge chunk of credit.

Atkinson quit his job not long after the new council took office.

Now he might be on the cusp of getting back into municipal government game.

Lubbock needs some help managing a priceless resource. I refer to water, something about which Atkinson is an acknowledged expert. On his watch at Amarillo City Hall, Amarillo was able to acquire vast water rights, setting the city on course to remain viable for the next century or two.

I didn’t like what happened to Atkinson here. I don’t have any inside information on how the Lubbock City Council will go with this key appointment.

I just want to put it on the record that I hope for the best for Jarret Atkinson … and for the city that might be about to hire him to do a difficult and demanding job.

local news, political news

Battle of political groups shaping up in Amarillo

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I love seeing grass-roots politics take shape in communities.

It’s where one can see activism at work. It involves people who have things in common as well as things that keep them apart. They may be neighbors, friends, they might attend the same church, their kids might attend the same schools.

But they argue over local politics.

I’m seeing a smattering of lawn signs around my neighborhood and around Amarillo. Unite For Amarillo is pitching its support for the seven municipal propositions on the ballot this November. SaveAmarillo is pitching its opposition to them.

Unite For Amarillo wants all of them to pass. I’m on their side, but you knew that already.

SaveAmarillo wants all of them defeated.

There’s an interesting element to this intra-city squabble. Neither side is willing to split the difference. It’s all or nothing for both sides. Does it remind you of anything? It reminds me of the fight for single-member districts that pops up on occasion in Amarillo. Some folks want the city to divide all four City Council member seats into wards, with only the mayor running at-large. The current system elects everyone at-large. No one in that fight seems willing to discuss a hybrid version: increase the council from five to seven seats, elect the mayor and two council members at large while electing the other four from wards.

Look, the city broke up the $340 million spending package into seven separate categories, enabling us to choose which of them to support. I think that’s a wise way to proceed. I plan to vote for all of them, because they all represent progress for the city, allowing City Hall to make important infrastructure improvements.

I am having trouble understanding why SaveAmarillo wants to toss them all aside. Street repair is not important? More funds for police and firefighters won’t improve public safety? Improving parks doesn’t boost our quality of life?

Why not look at them individually, line by line … and then decide which of them to support and which of them to reject?

But, hey, it’s grass-roots politics. I still like the idea of waging these skirmishes at the local level.

May the better side win. I have made my decision already.

local news, political news

AMM: Flash in the pan? Yeah, probably

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Two groups have taken the lead on opposing sides of Amarillo’s next big municipal election challenge.

Unite For Amarillo is favoring the seven propositions on the ballot that would pay for some extensive infrastructure improvements.

SaveAmarillo.org has formed to oppose the measures.

I am on the sidelines, offering commentary from the peanut gallery. I plan to support the propositions.

I also am wondering: What has become of the Amarillo Millennial Movement?

You remember AMM, yes? A young Amarillo woman, Meghan Riddlesburger, became the face and voice of this “movement,” which arose from nowhere to support the ballot measure that sought voter approval of the multipurpose event/ballpark venue the city plans to build in downtown Amarillo.

The measure passed. The Amarillo Globe-News honored Riddlesburger as a Headliner of the Year for 2015. She took a lot of flak from those who opposed the MPEV measure. The criticism was unduly harsh, unfair and it was hurtful … bordering on hateful.

Then she left the city for new opportunities in Fort Worth.

AMM’s status? As near as I can tell, it evaporated the moment the young woman departed Amarillo.

This is a disappointment for me. I actually bought into the notion that AMM represented a legitimate “movement” of young people dedicated to improving their city’s quality of life; that they were motivated to get behind the MPEV as a lure for other young people to stay here after getting their education.

Some of us — I include myself in that group — saw AMM as a potential deterrent to the “brain drain” that has been depleting the city’s intellectual wattage.

Here we are, a year after the MPEV vote. The city is asking residents for permission to improve its quality of life on a whole array of fronts: street repair, Civic Center expansion, park improvements, police and fire protection enhancements; athletic fields; municipal office improvements. The City Council broke the $340 million package into seven components and has asked its constituents to vote on them separately.

Where in the world has become of AMM, if it ever actually existed in the first place?

local news, political news

‘Trickery’ didn’t bring city these ballot measures

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I cannot get past a word I saw on a website formed to oppose a set of ballot measures set for Amarillo’s municipal election next month.

The word is “trickery.”

The website titled saveamarillo.org has accused Amarillo City Hall of duping voters into deciding on seven-part package of propositions aimed at making some improvements throughout the city.

The website, apparently created by local lawyer Len Walker, seems to imply some star chamber activities. Thus, the word “trickery” sticks in my craw. He recently added this “letter” to the site. Here it is:

http://saveamarillo.org/a-letter-from-len-walker/

When you click on the link, you’ll be able to see the rest of the website. It’s interesting and because I’m a fair-minded fellow, I encourage you to take a peek at all of it.

At issue is a package of proposals totaling $340 million. They’re broken out separately. Voters can approve all of them; they can OK some of them; or they can reject them all. The election occurs on Nov. 8.

If memory serves, the city sought public comment on these proposals. The City Council met in public to discuss them. The original package totaled nearly $1 billion. The council then winnowed them down to a more manageable collection of projects.

All of this was done, again if memory serves, in full public view.

As for Walker’s letter, he seems to suggest that the city — along with Potter County — are going to saddle taxpayers with a mountain of debt to pay for these projects. Perhaps we ought to consider that the city has virtually no debt at the moment and whatever debt taxpayers would assume by approving the projects would be manageable and serviceable.

I’ve noted already that I intend to support all seven of the projects listed on the ballot.

Even if I were to oppose them, it wouldn’t be because of any “trickery” perpetrated on residents.

I believe the city has been up front and transparent on what it needs and is merely doing the responsible thing by asking the taxpayers — those who would foot the bill — for permission to deliver these improvements.

local news, political news

They call it ‘trickery’ at City Hall … seriously?

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tx amar city hall

My wife and I got a surprise this morning on our walk through the neighborhood.

We saw a house around corner from ours with a lawn sign that urges city residents to oppose all seven of the municipal propositions on the Nov. 8 ballot.

The message is sponsored by a group called saveamarillo.org.

So, when we got home, I looked up the website and found some limited “information” about why this group — which doesn’t have any individuals listed — opposes the propositions.

Here’s what I found under the tab “The Problems with Propositions 1-7”: “The problems with the propositions that Amarillo will be voting on are very simple to see.

“These propositions are loaded with pork. When we say pork, we mean wasteful spending by government officials. Look through the items listed on amarillo.gov and you will see plenty of items that are not well defined, or not needed. We are for buying must haves, but all of the must haves listed in these propositions could easily be taken care of by the City Council. Instead, Amarillo will not be voting only on wants, or only on must haves, but rather Amarillo will be voting on a combo package of the City’s wants and a couple of must haves. This is trickery by the career politicians. And it is yet another reason to vote against on November 8.”

That’s it, folks.

For starters, I’d like to know who the “we” are in this effort to derail the city’s $340 million spending package that covers a multitude of issues, ranging from parks and ballfields, police and fire protection, street repair and Civic Center renovation and expansion.

I also would like for them to identify the “pork” alleged to be contained in the measures.

How about telling us how the City Council could have “taken care of” the items listed in the propositions? Are these folks — whoever they are — suggesting the council could just spend the money without asking voters for their approval?

As for City Hall asking voters to decide the fate of a “combo package,” the city instead has broken out the propositions into stand-alone segments. Voters can approve all, some or none of them.

I intend to support them all.

This group also accuses the city of not defining the projects sufficiently. It’s fair to ask, though, whether saveamarillo.org has defined its objections … at all!

Check out the website here:

http://saveamarillo.org/

They call it “trickery.” I sense a good bit of the same in the vagueness of this anti-proposition effort.

local news

All city ballot props deserve voter support

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I’ve made up my mind … and it was easier to settle on this decision than it has been trying to decide who should become the next president of the United States of America.

All of the Amarillo ballot measures deserve voters’ endorsement.

Some are more vital than others. The city has done a marvelous job of breaking out a total package of about $340 million into separate measures aimed at specific needs.

It settled on a seven-part package.

Here are the seven elements spelled out … line by line:

http://amarillo.gov/pdf/CIP_list_for_ballot_resolution.pdf

Do I rate all of them equally? No. Some are more vital than others. My personal preference would be to place the public safety element at the top of the priority list. The city is hoping to spend $20 million on several elements relating to improving police and fire protection.

The street element also is critical. I do not like driving along pock-marked streets. They are rough on motor vehicles and I much prefer to drive my motor vehicles along streets that are free of those craters.

Yes, there are some problematical issues on the ballot. The toughest political sell — in my view — would be the ballot proposition dealing with athletic fields. The city hopes to spend a huge chunk of change, about $65 million, to improve current ball fields and build new fields. We’ve been down this road before. Amarillo voters rejected the Amarillo Recreational Center proposal. I’m not yet sure if there’s enough support in the city to back this latest request. I hope it’s there and I intend to support it.

The city’s famously low tax rate is going to increase incrementally, depending on how many of the seven measures win voter approval.

Here are the resolutions that the City Council approved:

http://amarillo.gov/pdf/Resolution_Callilng_November_Election_16.pdf

I happen to be a good place regarding tax rates. My property taxes are frozen, given my age. That ought to bode well for these measures among other, um, more mature voters who enjoy the same property tax benefit granted to my wife and me.

Do I wish others to shoulder a tax burden that is too heavy, too costly? Of course not.

Amarillo residents have benefited for decades with a municipal tax rate of about 35 cents per $100 assessed property valuation. That rate is among the lowest in Texas. Is it time to dig a bit deeper to pay for these improvements to our infrastructure or to improve the quality of life in this vibrant — and growing — community?

I believe the time has arrived.

I applaud the city for the manner in which it has pitched these measures to voters. It’s not an all-or-nothing proposal. We have the option of selecting which of these measures to support.

I plan to support all of them.

local news, political news

Toughest sell: athletic facilities

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“SHALL the City Council of the City of Amarillo, Texas, be authorized to issue general obligation bonds of the City in the principal amount of $65,550,000 for permanent public improvements and public purposes, to wit:  acquiring, constructing, improving, expanding, renovating and equipping municipal athletic facilities, including soccer, softball and baseball fields, gymnasium, basketball and aquatics facilities and the acquisition of land therefor; such bonds to mature serially or otherwise over a period not to exceed twenty-five (25) years from their date, to be issued and sold in one or more series at any price or prices and to bear interest at any rate or rates (fixed, floating, variable or otherwise) as shall be determined within the discretion of the City Council at the time of issuance or sale of the bonds; and whether ad valorem taxes shall be levied upon all taxable property in the City sufficient to pay the annual interest and provide a sinking fund to pay the bonds at maturity?”

Proposition 7 on the Amarillo municipal ballot

This might be the most difficult of the seven propositions heading for the Amarillo municipal ballot.

It’s worth supporting, as I intend to do.

http://amarillo.gov/pdf/CIP_list_for_ballot_resolution.pdf

But it might be a difficult project for residents to swallow.

It reminds me a bit of the Amarillo Recreation Center initiative that voters defeated a couple of years back. City Hall wanted to build a huge new athletic complex in the southeast corner of the city. The idea would be to attract organized athletic tournaments to the city. It was seen by proponents as an economic driver for the city.

Voters felt differently. The ARC went down to defeat.

So, the city is coming back with a $65 million spending project that seeks to do many things to athletic complexes throughout Amarillo.

The biggest line item is $14 million for the Rick Klein Soccer Complex; the city also wants to spend $12 million for a youth baseball/softball complex. There will be improvements to the Martin Road softball complex, to John Stiff Park and expansion of the tennis center.

I’m not sure how the city is going to present this as an essential element for voters who also will be asked to endorse six other propositions on the ballot that deal with non-frills such as, say, police and fire protection, streets and parks. They also will be asked to sign off on a significant expansion to the Civic Center.

I intend to endorse the athletic field proposition. It’s not that my wife and I have children or grandchildren who are involved in organized sports activity. These improvements are part of a larger mosaic that reveals a city that wants to enhance its entire infrastructure.

As I’ve noted already, the city has done a good of presenting this entire package of improvements, the sum of which totals about $340 million. Yes, it’s a lot of money and voters have the chance to endorse all, part of none of it.

Despite my concerns about the politics of this issue, I hope voters endorse Proposition 7.

local news, political news

City takes correct course with propositions

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I understand fully Americans’ disgust with the presidential election process.

It’s too long. It’s too costly. It’s too negative.

Contrast that, though, with how local governments do the job of engaging in the political process.

In Amarillo, the City Council and the senior municipal staff have done it the right way in the run-up to the Nov. 8 general election.

City Hall has placed seven propositions on the municipal ballot. They all total about $340 million. They cover a multitude of projects that the city has deemed necessary. State law, though, prohibits city officials from campaign actively for these projects. They include such things as street repair, Civic Center improvements, athletic complex improvements, parks, public safety and fleet vehicles.

Here they are: http://amarillo.gov/pdf/CIP_list_for_ballot_resolution.pdf

I’ve commented on several of the propositions and will offer more comment on others in the days ahead.

My point today, though, is to offer a good word to the city for the way it chose to present these items.

Voters have the option of approving all, some or none of the measures. To that end, I congratulate City Hall for breaking these projects down in definable elements, giving voters the chance to decide which of these projects is important.

The city would issue certificates of obligation to pay for them. The level of increased property taxes would depend on how many of the ballot measures get voters’ endorsement in November.

This is good government at work. As I’ve noted many times in the past, it is at this level — the local level — where government has the most tangible impact on the lives of those who pay for it.

The city, to its credit, is acting as though it recognizes that reality.

local news

Response times in APD chief’s sights

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Amarillo Police Chief Ed Drain is a commanding individual.

As someone told me the other day, you know when Chief Drain walks into a room.

Thus, it is with that context established that Drain is setting out to fix what he believes is a potentially serious problem with the department. Response times need to be reduced, he says, and he plans to implement strategies to accomplish that goal.

Did I mention that he’s a commanding individual?

A study the city commissioned found that response times for APD were roughly double the length of time for other comparably sized departments.

That cannot continue.

Drain, who recently took over as the permanent chief after being appointed to the interim post by interim City Manager Terry Childers, wants to implement other improvements to the department. They involve possibly using more civilian personnel and tweaking the emergency call center operation, which already has undergone some significant overhaul over the past few months.

I’ve already commented favorably on Drain’s decision to re-deploy bicycle patrols in higher-crime neighborhoods, emphasizing community policing techniques that had been abandoned under the tenure of former Chief Robert Taylor, who recently retired.

http://amarillo.com/news/latest-news/2016-09-22/apd-chief-sets-sights-lowering-police-response-times

Yes, the response times need improvement, as the study indicates. Someone in need — or in potential danger — must be able to rely on quick response when the call goes out.

Chief Drain strikes me as someone whose very presence can bring along those under his command to implement the changes he believes he needs to make.

By all means, let’s shorten those response times.