At least one member of the Amarillo City Council said on Tuesday that she would support a "water only" policy for all of the future meetings at Amarillo City Hall.
On Tuesday, Councilmember Elaine Hays said that she would support a policy allowing only water into meetings of the Amarillo City Council. Hays made the comment after Mayor Ginger Nelson stated that the Council currently has a policy banning food and drinks from the City Council Chambers.
"Maybe we should add 'other than water' to that policy," Hays said. "With most other public buildings, like churches, that's the request."
City manager Jared Miller replied to Hays by saying that the policy banning food and drinks from meetings currently exists to limit concerns over replacing carpets due to accidental spills.
"It gets expensive to replace carpet," Miller said.
While Hays made the comment, it was not immediately clear whether the Amarillo City Council planned to allow water in the Council Chambers. Also, no comment was made regarding amending the Council Code of Conduct to allow for water in the Chambers.
