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City Auditor tells CVB board the Azavar hotel audit contract was canceled and audits moved in-house
City Auditor Uneill Gerber told the board that "after many issues with the contract with Azavar, the contract was canceled" and the City had taken over hotel audits in house. Earlier minutes record the City seeking a third-party hotel tax administrator (2021), the expiration of the Avenue Insight (formerly Muniservices) contract and Avenue cutting off hotel remittances sooner than expected (2022), hotel audits planned in two rounds of 45 and 42 hotels (February 2023), and Azavar working on cleaning up hotel tax reports (June 2023).[1][2][3][4][5][6]
What the sources say
- ✓ Verified
Uneill Gerber, City Auditor: The September 24, 2025 minutes record City Auditor Uneill Gerber's update: "After many issues with the contract with Azavar, the contract was canceled. The City of Amarillo has taken over hotel audits in house." The minutes do not describe the issues or give the cancellation date. [1]
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The City's check register records 46 payments to Azavar Audit Solutions Inc totaling $255,255.40 between 2022-08-01 and 2026-06-11, including $37,120.40 in fiscal 2026. The register does not tie payments to the hotel audit contract or to specific services. [7]
- Register total
- $255,255
- Fy2026
- $37,120
- ✓ Verified
Storrs said in May 2021 that "an RFP is going out for a third-party administrator of the HOT" and that it "may be possible to apply penalties and interest for back payments." In February 2022 a board member reported that "the contract with Avenue Insight, formerly Muniservices, has expired and a new contract is now in procurement," and in June 2022 City Finance Director Debbie Reid said Avenue "cut off hotel remittance of HOT sooner than expected." In February 2023 Smith said hotel audits would be "conducted in two rounds with 45 hotels in the first round, 42 in the second"; in June 2023 she said "Azavar is working on cleaning up the reports." [2][3][4][5][6]
- ✓ Verified
In July 2021 Storrs said 153 letters had been sent on February 26 to owners of 187 short-term rental properties asking them to begin remitting hotel occupancy tax, and six properties had responded; in November 2021 Smith said about 200 short-term rentals existed, seven of them paying voluntarily, and the board agreed to let the City handle follow-up. [8][9]
