Photo by Noah Dawson
Infrastructure in the North Heights portion of Amarillo is expected to be a key focus of the city’s budget process.
During the most recent meeting of Amarillo City Council, numerous citizens from the North Heights area pleaded with the city to fix the area’s outdated infrastructure. The meeting also included a presentation from Interim City Manager Floyd Hartman, who, along with Assistant Director of Utilities Shannon Tollison, gave a presentation on the topic which lasted for over an hour.
The presentation noted that, while major improvements still need to be made, some progress has occurred. In particular, Hartman discussed the amount of outdated 2-inch water lines which have been replaced and the amount yet to be replaced. “When I first arrived 20 years ago, there was about 120 miles of two inch,” said Hartman. “Currently we’ve crossed under the 80 mile mark left.”
Hartman also noted the importance of the ongoing Northeast Interceptor project to alleviate issues with the sewer system in the area.
In response to calls from members of the public, Mayor Cole Stanley said that “it’s going to take some time to sew this seed and turn this around and go the other way, and so we’re not going to fix these problems in six or seven months but you’ll see, I think, in this next budget cycle that we’ve got an intention to move that direction.”
Councilman Les Simpson made improving infrastructure, especially in North Amarillo, a key part of his campaign. In our voter guide, he noted that he would seek to focus on “decaying sewer/water lines.”
During the budget process last year, a major focus of the council was on drainage, as the city had been dealing with a historic flood disaster shortly after the city election. The council approved a substantial increase to the drainage fee to pay for drainage upgrades, and promised then to not seek further increases.
The first budget workshop for the council is set for July 30th. Eyes will also be on incoming City Manager Grayson Path, who is set to officially take office the day before the first budget workshop.