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Short pieces that walk through what the records on this site show, one topic at a time. The rest of the site is facts only; this section is where we explain them, and sometimes say what we think. Every piece is labeled.
- Summary
- A plain-language summary of records on this site. Every figure is on the linked pages, with its source.
- Opinion
- Says what the Amarillo Ledger thinks about the record. The facts in it are sourced on the linked pages; the conclusions are ours.
RSS feed · Series: City managers (1) · CRMWA II (4) · City debt (5) · Project Matador (5) · City revenue (5)
Opinion City managers ·
Eight changes in Amarillo's city manager's office in eleven years, and what they cost
Amarillo has had eight changes in the city manager's office in eleven years, counting interim and acting managers. The last two permanent managers cost taxpayers more than $1.2 million to let go, and in neither case has the City told the public why.
Summary CRMWA II ·
CRMWA II: the next big water project on Amarillo's horizon
The next big water project on Amarillo's horizon: a second pipeline called CRMWA II.
Summary CRMWA II ·
What CRMWA II will cost: $401.8 million, $767.8 million or $1.2 billion
How much will CRMWA II cost? $401.8 million, $767.8 million or $1.2 billion, depending on which document you read.
Summary CRMWA II ·
Why build CRMWA II: three reasons, starting with Lake Meredith
Why build a second pipeline? CRMWA gives three reasons, and the first is Lake Meredith.
Summary CRMWA II ·
Is CRMWA II being built for Fermi's Project Matador?
Is CRMWA II being built for Fermi's Project Matador? Nothing we've found says so.
Summary City debt ·
Who approved Amarillo's debt
Who approved Amarillo's debt? Less and less of it was you.
Summary City debt ·
$15.6 million of Amarillo's 2020 smart-meter borrowing still unspent
In 2020 the City borrowed $28.5 million from the state to put smart meters on every home. Five years later, $15.6 million of it still hadn't been spent, according to the City's own debt schedule for Sept. 30, 2025.
Summary City debt ·
The bill: what Amarillo pays each year on its debt
Borrowing is the easy part. Here's the bill.
Summary City debt ·
What Amarillo owes that isn't counted as debt
The $538.3 million in bonds isn't everything the City of Amarillo owes. Some of the biggest obligations never show up as "debt."
Summary Project Matador ·
Project Matador: what's on paper, and what it means for Amarillo
Fifteen miles northeast of Amarillo, next to Pantex, Fermi Inc. is planning a power plant and AI data-center campus it calls Project Matador. Here's what's actually on paper, and what it means for Amarillo.
Summary Project Matador ·
How much of Amarillo's water would go to Project Matador
How much of Amarillo's water is going to Project Matador? Depends which document you read.
Summary Project Matador ·
Comment by Nov. 23 on the review of four reactors near Amarillo
You have until Monday, Nov. 23 to comment on the environmental review for four nuclear reactors 15 miles from Amarillo.
Summary Project Matador ·
Project Matador's jobs numbers, and where they come from
Project Matador has been sold on jobs: "over 9,000" at peak, in Fermi's projections as reported by the Amarillo Tribune.
Opinion Project Matador ·
Project Matador's price tag: $70 to $90 billion
Project Matador's price tag is $70 to $90 billion, by Fermi's own estimate. Phase 0 and Phase 1 alone are over $3 billion.
Summary City revenue ·
Where the City of Amarillo's money comes from
We've spent this month on what the City of Amarillo owes. Now: where its money comes from.
Summary City revenue ·
Amarillo's property tax rate and the no-new-revenue rate
Every year, the county tax offices calculate a "no-new-revenue" rate for the City of Amarillo: the rate that would collect about the same property tax from the same properties as the year before.
Opinion City revenue ·
How well Amarillo's budget predicts what actually happens
How well does the City of Amarillo's budget predict what actually happens? We checked five years of the City's audited reports.
Summary City revenue ·
The number behind Amarillo's water rate increases
This is the number behind your water rate increases.
Summary City revenue ·
$244.2 million in federal awards, FY2021 to FY2025
From FY2021 through FY2025, the City of Amarillo spent $244.2 million from federal awards, according to its single audit reports.
Summary City debt ·
The City of Amarillo owes $538.3 million: what's behind the number
The City of Amarillo owes $538.3 million. That's $2,642 for every resident, up from $198.5 million ten years ago.
