Amarillo City Council · roll calls from the minutes
Who voted
how.
Every roll-call vote recorded in the City Council's minutes from May 11, 2021 to Aug 25, 2026, member by member. The mayor presides and votes as one of the five members. This page reports how members voted; it does not grade them.
1,268
Recorded votes
From 137 meetings' minutes. A consent agenda passed in one motion counts as one vote.
94.1%
Unanimous
75 votes had at least one nay. Every contested decision
4
Topics
119 decisions on debt, incentives, major projects and audits, with each member's vote. Browse
Votes by topic
- Debt & taxes
34 decisions
Borrowing (certificates of obligation, notes, revenue bonds and their notices of intent), proposed and adopted property tax rates, and the annual budget.
- Development incentives
63 decisions
AEDC incentive agreements, tax abatements and Chapter 380 agreements, reinvestment zones, TIRZ and AEDC budgets and spending, and AEDC land deals.
- Major projects
16 decisions
City Hall in the Amarillo Hardware building, the Civic Center, the ballpark (Hodgetown), and the Fermi water agreement.
- Audits & financial reports
9 decisions
Accepting or filing the annual comprehensive financial report (ACFR) and hiring the outside auditor.
May 2021 – May 2023
Mayor Ginger Nelson · May 11, 2021 – May 15, 2023
| Member | Votes | Aye | Nay | Lone nay | Abstain | Absent | With majority | Motions made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ginger Nelson | 438 | 425 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 100% | 5 |
| Freda Powell | 458 | 428 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 99.8% | 300 |
| Eddy Sauer | 444 | 419 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 19 | 99.1% | 32 |
| Howard Smith | 452 | 432 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 99.3% | 13 |
| Cole Stanley | 456 | 422 | 31 | 30 | 1 | 2 | 92.7% | 17 |
"With majority" is the share of a member's aye and nay votes that matched the outcome. "Motions made" counts motions the minutes credit to the member; customs differ (in 2021–2023 the mayor pro tem moved most items). Members with fewer than 10 votes in this period, cast around a swearing-in, are left out of this table.
How often each pair voted alike on this period's contested votes
- Sauer & Stanley: voted alike on 0 of 37 contested votes (0%)
- Powell & Stanley: voted alike on 3 of 37 contested votes (8.1%)
- Nelson & Stanley: voted alike on 4 of 34 contested votes (11.8%)
- Smith & Stanley: voted alike on 4 of 33 contested votes (12.1%)
- Powell & Smith: voted alike on 29 of 33 contested votes (87.9%)
- Sauer & Smith: voted alike on 29 of 33 contested votes (87.9%)
- Nelson & Sauer: voted alike on 30 of 34 contested votes (88.2%)
- Nelson & Smith: voted alike on 27 of 30 contested votes (90%)
- Powell & Sauer: voted alike on 34 of 37 contested votes (91.9%)
- Nelson & Powell: voted alike on 33 of 34 contested votes (97.1%)
May 2023 – May 2025
Mayor Cole Stanley · May 16, 2023 – May 12, 2025
| Member | Votes | Aye | Nay | Lone nay | Abstain | Absent | With majority | Motions made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Josh Craft | 462 | 419 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 34 | 97.9% | 155 |
| Tom Scherlen | 466 | 456 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 98.3% | 104 |
| Les Simpson | 461 | 435 | 9 | 8 | 2 | 15 | 98% | 76 |
| Howard Smith | 20 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 1 |
| Cole Stanley | 478 | 468 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 100% | 18 |
| Don Tipps | 480 | 467 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 99.4% | 115 |
"With majority" is the share of a member's aye and nay votes that matched the outcome. "Motions made" counts motions the minutes credit to the member; customs differ (in 2021–2023 the mayor pro tem moved most items). Members with fewer than 10 votes in this period, cast around a swearing-in, are left out of this table.
How often each pair voted alike on this period's contested votes
- Scherlen & Simpson: voted alike on 7 of 24 contested votes (29.2%)
- Craft & Simpson: voted alike on 10 of 24 contested votes (41.7%)
- Craft & Scherlen: voted alike on 11 of 24 contested votes (45.8%)
- Simpson & Tipps: voted alike on 11 of 23 contested votes (47.8%)
- Scherlen & Tipps: voted alike on 13 of 23 contested votes (56.5%)
- Craft & Tipps: voted alike on 14 of 23 contested votes (60.9%)
- Craft & Stanley: voted alike on 14 of 22 contested votes (63.6%)
- Simpson & Stanley: voted alike on 14 of 22 contested votes (63.6%)
- Scherlen & Stanley: voted alike on 15 of 22 contested votes (68.2%)
- Stanley & Tipps: voted alike on 19 of 22 contested votes (86.4%)
May 2025 – present
Mayor Cole Stanley · May 13, 2025 – present
| Member | Votes | Aye | Nay | Lone nay | Abstain | Absent | With majority | Motions made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Prescott | 273 | 260 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 98.5% | 72 |
| Tim Reid | 305 | 295 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 98.7% | 38 |
| Tom Scherlen | 26 | 24 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 88.5% | 6 |
| Les Simpson | 314 | 308 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 98.7% | 100 |
| Cole Stanley | 314 | 307 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 98.1% | 15 |
| Don Tipps | 306 | 284 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 18 | 100% | 82 |
"With majority" is the share of a member's aye and nay votes that matched the outcome. "Motions made" counts motions the minutes credit to the member; customs differ (in 2021–2023 the mayor pro tem moved most items). Members with fewer than 10 votes in this period, cast around a swearing-in, are left out of this table.
How often each pair voted alike on this period's contested votes
- Reid & Scherlen: voted alike on 0 of 3 contested votes (0%)
- Scherlen & Simpson: voted alike on 0 of 3 contested votes (0%)
- Scherlen & Tipps: voted alike on 0 of 3 contested votes (0%)
- Simpson & Stanley: voted alike on 5 of 14 contested votes (35.7%)
- Prescott & Reid: voted alike on 4 of 11 contested votes (36.4%)
- Prescott & Stanley: voted alike on 4 of 11 contested votes (36.4%)
- Prescott & Simpson: voted alike on 5 of 11 contested votes (45.5%)
- Reid & Simpson: voted alike on 7 of 14 contested votes (50%)
- Stanley & Tipps: voted alike on 8 of 13 contested votes (61.5%)
- Scherlen & Stanley: voted alike on 2 of 3 contested votes (66.7%)
- Prescott & Tipps: voted alike on 7 of 10 contested votes (70%)
- Reid & Stanley: voted alike on 10 of 14 contested votes (71.4%)
- Reid & Tipps: voted alike on 10 of 13 contested votes (76.9%)
- Simpson & Tipps: voted alike on 10 of 13 contested votes (76.9%)
Every contested decision
Decisions where at least one member voted nay, oldest first. Two readings of one ordinance count as one decision.
May 2021 – May 2023 · 29
Notice of intent to issue up to $35 million in certificates of obligation for City Hall
Aye = publish the notice of intent · Passed 4-1 · Debt & taxes · Major projects
City Hall architectural and engineering contract with Sims Architects (up to $2 million)
Aye = authorize the contract · Passed 4-1 · Major projects
Proposed FY2021/22 tax rate of $0.48404, above the voter-approval rate
Aye = propose the rate · Passed 4-1 · Debt & taxes
Tax and revenue notes, Series 2022 (Ord. 7944), financing the City Hall move
Aye = authorize the notes · Passed 3-1 · Debt & taxes · Major projects
$7 million in certificates of obligation for park lighting (notice of intent, then Ord. 7972)
Aye = authorize the debt · Passed 4-1, 3-1 (2 votes) · Debt & taxes
Four contracts to relocate gas, power, communication and fiber lines for City Hall ($663,606.52)
Aye = award the contracts · Passed 4-1, 4-1, 4-1, 4-1 (4 votes) · Major projects
Demolition of three warehouses at the City Hall site ($139,700)
Aye = award the contract · Passed 4-1 · Major projects
Tax notes, Series 2022A (Ord. 7985), for the Civic Center plan
Aye = authorize the notes · Passed 4-1 · Debt & taxes · Major projects
Tax notes, Series 2022B (Ord. 8003)
Aye = authorize the notes · Passed 4-1 · Debt & taxes
Removal of railroad tracks and paving for City Hall utility work ($116,003)
Aye = award the contract · Passed 4-1 · Major projects
Western Builders as construction manager at risk for the City Hall renovation
Aye = approve the selection · Passed 3-1 · Major projects
May 2023 – May 2025 · 23
AEDC FY2023/24 operating budget
Aye = approve the budget · Passed 4-1 · Development incentives
TIRZ #1 FY2023/24 operating budget
Aye = approve the budget · Passed 4-1 · Development incentives
Ballpark (MPEV) upgrades for Major League Baseball requirements ($4,595,000)
Aye = award the contract · Passed 4-1 · Major projects
Reinvestment Zone No. 24 in the South Georgia business park (Ord. 8130, both readings)
Aye = designate the zone · Passed 3-2, 4-1 (2 votes) · Development incentives
Tax abatement agreement with Sage Oil Vac
Aye = approve the abatement · Passed 4-1 · Development incentives
AEDC incentive agreement with Brushwood Acre Farms
Aye = approve the agreement · Passed 4-1 · Development incentives
Amendments to the AEDC's articles of incorporation
Aye = approve the amendments · Passed 4-1 · Development incentives
May 2025 – present · 12
Water supply agreement with Fermi, Inc. (Res. 10-14-25-2, both readings)
Aye = approve the agreement · Passed 5-0, 4-1 (2 votes) · Major projects
Assignment of the downtown Courtyard by Marriott's TIRZ #1 incentive agreement to a new owner
Aye = approve the assignment · Passed 4-1 · Development incentives
Accept the FY2025 annual comprehensive financial report as presented
Aye = accept the report · Failed 2-2 · Audits & financial reports
What this covers
- Roll calls are read from 256 City Council minutes files (regular and special meetings and work sessions). 164 are scanned images and were read with OCR; 35 votes have a roll call that is partly illegible and are marked where they appear.
- Items passed together on a consent agenda share one vote. A member's position on a consent item is their vote on the whole consent agenda.
- Votes the minutes record without naming who voted (for example, a unanimous motion to enter executive session) are not counted for anyone.
- Minutes are not posted for every meeting. The portal's entry for the July 12, 2022 meeting holds that day's agenda packet rather than its minutes.
- Decisions are grouped and titled by hand from the minutes; the methodology explains how.