During the Amarillo City Council meeting on Tuesday, the council will have just over $30 million in spending items before them, with the bulk of the spending coming from a single $28 million contract with Western Builders to turn the old Amarillo Warehouse building into the new City Hall.

The project has been the center of much controversy dating back to the 2020 Prop A election. While the election focused on the Civic Center, it also included replacing city hall, with the plan under Prop A to have a new park where the current City Hall sits. Voters rejected Prop A, but that did not stop the council from pushing to replace city hall, primarily citing issues with the boilers in the current city hall. Many citizens have still expressed opposition to the plans though, with many feeling like the council has been ignoring the will of the voters. One member of the council who has objected to the plans has been Cole Stanley, who has echoed the concerns of those critical of the project.

Despite a citizen petition and opposition from Stanley, debt has already been issued for the project and several preliminary steps have begun, including demolition of nearby city owned buildings to make way for parking.

Western Builders was one of two bidders on the project, the other being Adolfson & Peterson Construction. While the city rated the A&P bid better on metrics of the amount proposed fee for pre-construction services, amount of the proposed fee for construction services, and the cost and extent of general conditions, with A&P earning perfect scores in each category, Wester Builders was rated higher on other metrics.

Aside from the City Hall project, much of the remaining spending involves Rick Husband International Airport. The council will consider a new mowing tractor and deck, new service trucks, a modification to an existing construction contract, and a new elevator and modernization of an existing elevator for the airport parking garage. On the contract modification, priced at $53,723.97, 90% is expected to be paid for by federal grants.

The two remaining items are a $200,000 contract with Acushnet Company for golf products and a $720,000 economic incentive package for Coast Packing Company - South to be paid for by the Amarillo Economic Development Corporation.

The Coast incentive package is also joined on the agenda with an 8 year 80% tax abatement. Both of these come after a new investment zone was created for the project during the previous council meeting.

To read our full story summarizing other items on the agenda, click here. To see a full breakdown of the spending items, see our chart below: