Dec 14, 2021 · Related development

Council authorizes $23.9 million in financing, supplemented with ARPA funds

Councilmembers authorized $23.9 million in financing for renovating Amarillo Hardware into City Hall, to be supplemented with American Rescue Plan Act funds. Sources differ on whether the instrument was bonds or a bank loan, and on how the 2021 lawsuit ended. The minutes record the ordinance passing 3-1 (Stanley no, Smith absent).^[1]^[2]^[3]

Laura Storrs

What the sources say

⚠ Sources differ
Sources agree on $23.9 million but differ on the financing instrument approved in December 2021.
Reported value 1[1]
Value
bonds
Councilmembers on December 14 authorized the sale of $23.9 million in bonds, to be supplemented with American Rescue Plan Act funds 'to lessen the tax burden on citizens.'
Reported value 2[2]
Value
bank loan
The council approved a $23.9 million bank loan the previous year.
Reported value 3[3][4]
Value
tax notes
Council minutes of Dec 14, 2021 (Ordinance No. 7944, Combination Tax and Revenue Notes, Series 2022); the FY2026-27 budget book lists 'Tax Notes Series 2022 (50% of City Hall project)' dated Jan 11, 2022
⚠ Sources differ
Sources differ in how they describe the end of the 2021 lawsuit; no date or court ruling was found.
Reported value 1[1]
Value
dismissed
The $35 million certificate action was delayed by a lawsuit 'until the case was dismissed.'
Reported value 2[2]
Value
dropped
The lawsuit 'was eventually dropped.'
✓ Verified
Laura Storrs, Assistant City Manager: Assistant City Manager Laura Storrs said the funds would let the City begin renovation 'almost immediately or after the holiday season.'^[1]
✓ Verified
On December 14, 2021, after a presentation of funding options for renovating the Amarillo Hardware building as City Hall by Assistant City Manager Laura Storrs and a representative of Specialized Public Finance, the council adopted Ordinance No. 7944 authorizing the issuance of "City of Amarillo, Texas Combination Tax and Revenue Notes, Series 2022," payable from an ad valorem tax and a limited pledge of waterworks and sewer system revenues, including approval of a purchase contract. The vote was 3-1: Mayor Ginger Nelson, Mayor Pro Tem Freda Powell and Councilmember Eddy Sauer voted yes, Councilmember Cole Stanley voted no, and Councilmember Howard Smith was absent. The minutes do not state the amount. ^[3]
✓ Verified
The City's FY2026-27 proposed budget book debt schedule lists "Tax Notes Series 2022 (50% of City Hall project)," dated January 11, 2022, under both property-tax-supported debt (original issue $11,950,000) and water-and-sewer-supported debt (original issue shown as $2,495,000). Each line shows $2,495,000 outstanding and $2,495,000 of principal (plus $24,950 interest) budgeted for FY2026-27. ^[4]
Property tax line original
$11,950,000
Outstanding each line
$2,495,000

Sources

1.Amarillo council approves $24M to renovate hardware site into city hall — Strategic Partnerships, Inc. (Texas Government Insider), Jan 5, 2022 · retrieved Oct 9, 2026newsIndependentStance: neutralGovernment-contracting newsletter; reports the Nov 9 and Dec 14, 2021 council actions.
2.City of Amarillo begins demolition on new City Hall — ABC7 Amarillo (KVII), Jun 14, 2022 · retrieved Oct 9, 2026newsIndependentStance: neutral
3.City Council minutes, regular meeting of December 14, 2021 — City of Amarillo, Dec 14, 2021 · retrieved Oct 10, 2026primarySubject-authoredScanned minutes; Items 3C and 3F (Ordinance No. 7944). Outcomes of items 3D and 3E are not recorded on the pages reviewed.
4.Fiscal Year 2026-27 Proposed Budget Book (after council review, 09-24-26) — City of Amarillo, Sep 24, 2026 · retrieved Oct 9, 2026primarySubject-authoredProposed (not adopted) document; its M&O / I&S split differs from the split in the City's Sept 30, 2026 adoption release.