Apr 11, 2023 – Apr 25, 2023 · Context

Council narrows the downtown open-container rule (Ordinance No. 8056), 5-0

The council amended Municipal Code Section 10-3-44, the open alcoholic beverage container prohibition in the Central Business District, so that its definition of a "public place" excludes the area of a premises permanently licensed by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission for on-premise consumption, among other areas. It passed 5-0 on first reading on April 11, 2023 and on the consent agenda, 5-0, on April 25, 2023.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Ginger Nelson Cole Stanley Freda Powell Eddy Sauer Howard Smith

What the sources say

✓ Verified
Ordinance No. 8056 amended Section 10-3-44 of the Municipal Code, the open alcoholic beverage container prohibition in the Central Business District, so that "public place" excludes the inside of a motor vehicle, the inside of a building not owned or controlled by the City, residential structures including a deck, patio, porch or balcony, and "the area of a premises permanently licensed by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission for alcohol consumption on the premises." The staff memo said the change would "lessen the regulatory burden on property owners and on persons licensed or permitted by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission to sell alcohol, while still limiting public alcohol consumption in the Central Business District." Staff recommended approval, and the packet lists an Amarillo CVB support letter as an attachment. ^[2]
✓ Verified
The council passed Ordinance No. 8056 on first reading on April 11, 2023, 5-0 (motion by Freda Powell, second by Howard Smith), and on second reading as part of the consent agenda on April 25, 2023, 5-0. ^[1]^[3]

Sources

1.Amarillo City Council Regular Meeting Minutes, 2023-04-11 — City of Amarillo, Apr 11, 2023 · retrieved Oct 14, 2026primarySubject-authoredScanned minutes read with OCR. Item 7.B, Ordinance No. 8056: "Motion made to adopt the ordinance, as presented, by Freda Powell; seconded by Howard Smith; Motion passed with a 5:0 vote".
2.Amarillo City Council Regular Meeting agenda packet, April 11, 2023 — City of Amarillo, Apr 11, 2023 · retrieved Oct 14, 2026primarySubject-authoredAgenda transmittal memo and text of Ordinance No. 8056 (pages 97-98); 'published' set to the meeting date.
3.City Council minutes, regular meeting of April 25, 2023 — City of Amarillo, Apr 25, 2023 · retrieved Oct 10, 2026primarySubject-authoredScanned minutes read from the page images; consent agenda (item 6) approved 5:0.