Amarillo City Councilman Josh Craft was the sole vote against a tax abatement package approved by the council during a meeting earlier this week.

The abatement agreement gives Sage Oil Vac a 10% one-year property tax abatement for a new site it is building near Augustus Drive and Georgia Street. Ahead of the abatement being approved, the council voted on a second reading to approve a reinvestment zone for the project. Craft voted against the reinvestment zone on both the first and second readings. Councilman Tom Scherlen voted against the item on its first reading before switching to vote for it on the second reading.

“That’s just the side of the fence I’m on,” said Craft when explaining why he voted against the abatement. “I’m a man of principal and that’s where I stand.” Craft did note that his vote wasn’t a vote against the project and said “I’m looking forward to doing business with y’all.”

The council separately approved a $600,000 incentive agreement and the conveyance of 20 acres of property for the project, though that passed unanimously.

The votes came as the Amarillo Economic Development Corporation has become a flashpoint for local politics. Former AEDC board member and local businessman Craig Gualtiere has recently raised concerns regarding the organization.

In particular, Gualtiere has recently run billboards critical of the AEDC. Apparently in response, a series of pro-AEDC billboards have also been run. Though the pro-AEDC billboards did not include a “paid for by” disclaimer, the same artwork was also used as an ad run by Amarillo Matters PAC on Facebook.