City Asks to Dismiss Civic Center Lawsuit Appeal

Supreme Court of Texas/Photo by Noah Dawson

The City of Amarillo has filed a motion with the Texas Supreme Court to dismiss its own appeal of the civic center lawsuit.

The lawsuit was initiated by Amarillo businessman Alex Fairly last year after the city sought to use tax anticipation notes to fund upgrades to the Amarillo Civic Center Complex. Fairly challenged the issuance of the notes on several grounds, including the Texas Open Meetings Act. Fairly won at both the district court and appeals court level, where the courts voided the tax notes and told the city to pay Fairly’s legal fees.

Since the lawsuit began, a slate of Fairly-backed candidates were elected to Amarillo City Council. Despite the change in city leadership, the city continued to appeal the case, culminating in a petition filed with the Texas Supreme Court last month challenging the order to pay Fairly’s legal fees.

Then, just weeks after the petition for review was filed, the legal team hired by the city for the lawsuit withdrew from the lawsuit. Now, the city is asking for their appeal to be dismissed, with the Texas Supreme Court expected to decide on the motion by the end of the week.