Filings with the Texas Ethics Commission show that over the course of 2017, the City of Amarillo employed five different lobbyists.
According to the required lobbyist filings with the TEC, five lobbyists disclosed that they had been paid for services rendered to the City of Amarillo in 2017. The lobbyists reporting payment from the City of Amarillo in 2017 are: Russell T. Kelley, Carol McGarah, Jessica Oney, Micah Anthony Rodriguez and Sara Sachde. All five lobbyists are based out of Austin, Texas.
City of Amarillo spokesperson Jesse Patton says the lobbyist hirings in 2017 were meant to aid the City Council's legislative agenda.
"They handle things in the legislature that pertain to the legislative agenda set by the City Council," Patton said. "If something comes up in Austin they might go tell the legislators 'the City of Amarillo says this is bad for us and here's why.'"
Patton also said that the City Council's legislative agenda changes before each session of the legislature and the lobbyists are not hired to advocate one specific issue but rather the entire agenda of the City council.
Legislative filings show that the City of Amarillo has been hiring lobbyists since 2005. The Texas Ethics Commission does not require that lobbyists disclose their amount of compensation but rather a range. As of 2015, the highest paid lobbyist employed by the City of Amarillo was Carol McGarah. McGarah reported compensation ranging between $50,000 and $99,999.99. Russell T. Kelley reported receiving between $10,000 and $24,999.99 and four other lobbyists reported receiving less than $10,000 from the City of Amarillo.
To see full lobby filings with the Texas Ethics Commission, please visit www.ethics.state.tx.us.
