Potter County Courts Building/Photo by Noah Dawson

Oral arguments in the ongoing appeal of the civic center lawsuit are scheduled for Monday, June 26th.

The original lawsuit, filed by businessman Alex Fairly, was filed in response to the city’s attempt to issue tax anticipation notes to fund renovations to the Amarillo Civic Center last year. The attempted issuance came less than two years after voters had rejected a similar bond-funded proposal in November 2020. Fairly’s lawsuit argued that the city had violated the will of the voters and was done in a way that broke numerous state laws, including the Texas Open Meetings Act.

Fairly won the lawsuit after a trial last October, which was followed by an appeal filed by the City of Amarillo, which took issue with most of Judge William Sowder’s ruling. Fairly also filed his own appeal, in which he argued the ruling didn’t go far enough. The Office of the Attorney General of Texas is also a party to the lawsuit and has filed a brief arguing against both appeals.

Oral arguments are scheduled for 9:00 am and will be held at the Potter County Courts Building, Suite 2A. The City of Amarillo will be given 20 minutes to argue its appeal, followed by 20 minutes for Fairly and the AG’s office, and concluding with a five-minute rebuttal by the city.