Amarillo City Council is set to consider over $7 million in spending items during their upcoming meeting on August 27th. The largest items include an airport marketing contract, a professional services agreement for improvements to Coulter Street, and the purchase of three pothole repairing trucks.

The most expensive item on the agenda, item 8L, is a contract worth up to $1.8 million for airport marketing and advertising services. The contract is set to be awarded to NoBox Creative, with $360,000 to be paid over three years with a two-year optional extension at the end of the contract. Notably, NoBox Creative was the primary campaign consultant for both Councilman Les Simpson and Councilman Josh Craft.

Close behind 8L in terms of cost is 8S, a contract worth $1,705,600 for reconstruction and widening of Coulter Street. The project will be about 1 mile in length, stretching from Hollywood Road to Sundown Lane. According to a document outlining the scope of services, “the street section will be five-lane undivided with curb and gutter and sidewalks on both sides.” The contract is set to be awarded to J Shehan Engineering, P.C., with funding sourced from the Proposition 1 bond funds.

While 8L and 8S are the only two items with price tags over $1 million, item 8P nearly reaches that mark. That item, a contract worth $923,445, is for the purchase of three durapatcher pothole trucks from Cimline, Inc. Managing Director of Public Works previously pitched the idea to the City Council, touting the results of these trucks in other cities in increasing efficiency for pothole repairs.

Aside from the highest cost items, several other spending items of note are on the council agenda. Specifically, changes to three previous spending items are set to be considered.

Item 8N is approval of a $325,090 price increase for the purchase of new police patrol vehicles for the Amarillo Police Department. The 29 vehicles, originally ordered in May 2022, are only now being delivered, according to the city. The original price tag was for $1,118,495, with the contract going to Rockdale Country Ford. According to Rockdale, the company is fulfilling the order with 2024 EcoBoost models, despite the original purchase being for 2023 model hybrids. Rockdale, in a notice sent to the city, cited “unforeseen production constraints.”

Item 8R is the sixth change order for the Hollywood Road and River Road Water Reclamation Facilities digester mixing system improvements project contract. The original contract was for just over $16 million, though the overall price with the latest change order is now nearly $19 million. Garney Companies, Inc., is the contractor for the project.

The final spending item on the agenda, 8X, is a $28,123.57 amendment to the city’s contract with Baker Tilly US, LLP for consulting services related to the charter review. The amendment is for the additional work the consultant put in following the council’s decision to adjust the recommendations made by the Charter Review Committee. This is the second amendment to the contract after additional travel expenses were added previously. The original contract had a price tag of $49,975, though the total with both amendments is $87,218.57. (This does not include the cost of the city manager search, which was a separate contract also held by Baker Tilly.)

Other than spending items, notable items on the agenda include discussions of modifications to the ballot language for two November election propositions and initial steps to be taken to annex roughly 200 acres of land Northwest of SW 45th & Soncy. Before their regular meeting, the council will hold a budget workshop meeting in the morning and an executive session meeting to discuss the AEDC controversy in the afternoon.

The regular meeting will begin at 3:00 pm and will be held on the third floor of Amarillo City Hall. The full agenda and agenda packet can be found at this link.