Mayor Ginger Nelson, Councilwoman Freda Powell, Councilman Eddy Sauer, and Councilman Howard Smith were present for the groundbreaking for the new City Hall project today.

Despite the fact that a clear majority of 4 of 5 members of the council being present, no notice of the event was posted on the city website.

According to Amarillo City Secretary Stephanie Coggins, no notice was required as the event was “ceremonial.” Coggins noted that this was a change in city policy from her predecessor Frances Hibbs, who included ceremonial events in posted notices.

Councilman Cole Stanley, who has criticized the project, was not in attendance. In his criticism, he noted that a version of the project was included in the city's 2020 Prop A, which was rejected by voters. The City has attempted to distinguish the project in its current form from Prop A, though Mayor Nelson noted during the groundbreaking that the city had been working on this project for “years and years and years.”

While Councilman Stanley was not at the City Hall groundbreaking, he did announce this morning he will be running for mayor. Election Day is May 6th.