Voters Turn Down Amarillo Tax Increase

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Voters in Amarillo opted against ratifying a proposed 24 percent property tax increase put forward by the Amarillo City Council on Tuesday night.

In Tuesday night’s tax rate ratification election, voters voted against Proposition A by a margin of 55-45 percent against. Both Potter and Randall counties voted against Proposition A by nearly identical margins, leading the proposition to its eventual defeat.

The item was backed by Vote for Kids Amarillo PAC, which claimed a favorable vote would have paid for park repairs and public safety improvements. Meanwhile, Save Amarillo PAC opposed the measure, claiming that the item would have raised taxes by the largest margin in Amarillo history without a clear road map for how the newly raised tax revenue would be spent.

Due to the failure of Proposition A, the City Council’s newly approved tax rate for the year will be up to the maximum allowed by state law without voter approval. This rate would ensure that taxes in Amarillo would rise no more than 3.5 percent for the upcoming fiscal year.