Photo by Noah Dawson
Amarillo City Council is set to meet tomorrow afternoon to discuss various items, including rezoning ordinances, $33 million in spending, and a possible sister city relationship with Dnipro, Ukraine.
Among the zoning ordinances are several second and final readings of ordinances passed during their previous meeting, including one giving a property owner a specific use permit for a carport the owner had previously constructed without seeking permission from the city government.
Among new rezoning ordinances on the agenda set for their first readings tomorrow is the rezoning of a lot currently designated as “Multiple-Family District 1” to light commercial. According to the agenda packet, the property owner is seeking to use the lot to sell new and used cars. However, according to a transmittal memo from the city’s Planning and Development Services department, the Planning and Zoning Commission has unanimously recommended against the rezoning, claiming the rezoning “would be contrary to the intent of the development type for this area.” However, nearby property owners who were notified of the proposal did not seem to express concerns about the project, as the memo also notes that only one comment was received, with that property owner inquiring about the proposal. That property owner, who was the only one to respond, “did not express support or opposition” to the proposal after being given more information.
The council is also planning on spending nearly $33 million on various projects. The bulk of this amount includes various items relating to new financial software. The items, which total nearly $23 million, include $18 million for the software as a part of a 15 year agreement, $2.4 million for implementation services, $1.8 million for management services, and just over half of a million dollars for cashiering software. A full summary of the spending items can be found at the bottom of this article.
The council is also set to discuss a letter from Borys Filatov, the mayor of Dnipro, Ukraine. The letter mentions support by Amarillo citizens given to Dnipro during the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. According to the meeting agenda, the council will discuss a “possible sister city relationship” with Dnipro.
Also on the agenda is the creation of a new reinvestment zone for commercial and industrial tax abatements. The new reinvestment zone, designated as “Reinvestment Zone No. 21” on the agenda, will be near near the intersection of Centerport Boulevard and Folsom Road if passed.
The meeting is set for at 1:00 pm on the third floor of city hall. Those who would like to speak may sign up online here. Below is a link to the full agenda packet and a chart summarizing the spending items on the agenda.
