Mar 28, 2023 · Resolution

Council authorizes $4.5 million in hotel tax revenue bonds for MLB-required upgrades

The council voted unanimously to authorize $4.5 million in hotel occupancy tax and revenue bonds for Hodgetown upgrades required under MLB facility standards, including locker rooms and facilities for women, a dining area and extended netting. Repayment sources include the team lease, the Convention and Visitors Bureau and hotel tax collections through 2043.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]

Laura Storrs

What the sources say

⚠ Sources differ
The amount tied to the 2023 Hodgetown upgrades was reported differently.
Reported value 1[1]
Amount
$4,500,000
Hotel occupancy tax and revenue bonds authorized by the council
Reported value 2[2][3]
Amount
$4,000,000
Estimated renovation cost (Laura Storrs; state project registration)
Reported value 3[5]
Amount
$4,757,000
Hotel occupancy tax bonds approved in March 2023, as later reported by the Amarillo Pioneer
✓ Verified
On March 28, 2023 the City Council voted unanimously to authorize the bonds for Hodgetown upgrades under MLB facility standards, including facilities for women such as locker rooms, a dining area and extended netting down the first- and third-base lines.^[1]^[2]^[4]
✓ Verified
Laura Storrs, Assistant City Manager/CFO (HOT share estimate): Repayment sources were described as $175,000 per year from the team lease (drawn from the team's capital reserve), $50,000 per year from the Convention and Visitors Bureau budget, and about $155,000-$157,000 per year from hotel tax collections, through 2043 when the bonds mature.^[2]
Team lease
175,000
Cvb
50,000
Hot low
155,000
Hot high
157,000
Maturity year
2,043
✓ Verified
Laura Storrs, Assistant City Manager and CFO: Assistant City Manager and CFO Laura Storrs said 'you must meet the requirements of major league baseball' and that 'no property tax dollars are being used to pay for that facility.'^[1]
✓ Verified
A state accessibility registration for the Hodgetown renovation and expansion, owned by the City of Amarillo, listed an estimated cost of $4,000,000, a start date of October 1, 2023 and a completion date of March 1, 2025.^[3]
✓ Verified
The March 28, 2023 minutes record the council voting 5-0 to adopt Ordinance No. 8053, authorizing the issuance of "City of Amarillo, Texas, Hotel Occupancy Tax Revenue Bonds, Taxable Series 2023," on a motion by Mayor Pro Tem Powell seconded by Councilmember Smith; voting yes were Mayor Nelson, Mayor Pro Tem Powell and Councilmembers Sauer, Smith and Stanley. The minutes do not state the bond amount. ^[4]

Sources

1.New MLB mandates force Hodgetown to make $4.5 million in upgrades — ABC 7 Amarillo (KVII), Mar 28, 2023 · retrieved Oct 9, 2026newsIndependentStance: neutral
2.Amarillo City Council approves use of hotel tax bonds for Hodgetown renovations — Amarillo Globe-News (via Yahoo News), Mar 30, 2023 · retrieved Oct 9, 2026newsIndependentStance: neutralAmarillo Globe-News article syndicated on Yahoo News.
3.TABS2023016926 — Hodgetown Ballpark - PDL renovation & expansion — Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, Apr 19, 2023 · retrieved Oct 9, 2026primaryIndependentArchitectural Barriers project registration; 'published' is the registration date.
4.Amarillo City Council Regular Meeting Minutes, 2023-03-28 — City of Amarillo, Mar 28, 2023 · retrieved Oct 14, 2026primarySubject-authoredScanned minutes (read with OCR). Item 3A, Ordinance No. 8053, hotel occupancy tax revenue bonds, Taxable Series 2023: "the motion passed by a 5-0 vote."
5.Council to Consider $4.6 Million Hodgetown Upgrade Contract — The Amarillo Pioneer, Sep 23, 2023 · retrieved Oct 14, 2026newsIndependentByline Noah Dawson. Agenda preview (news report, not commentary).