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Elections & governance
Elections and ballot measures, citizen-initiated ordinances, charter amendments, council rules and conduct, the City Manager's contract, legislative priorities and ceremonial resolutions.
Each member's votes on these 11 decisions
| Member | Aye | Nay | Abstain | Absent | Mixed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Josh Craft | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Elaine Hays | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Ginger Nelson | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Freda Powell | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Eddy Sauer | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tom Scherlen | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Les Simpson | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Howard Smith | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cole Stanley | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Don Tipps | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Counts are of decisions, not readings: an ordinance's two readings are one decision. "Mixed" means the member voted differently on different readings of the same decision. Members served different spans, so totals are not comparable across people without the dates below.
May 2019 – May 2021 · 1 decisions
Board and commission membership opened to some non-residents of the city (Ord. 7897, both readings)
The draft let people who live outside the city limits serve on City boards, with registered voters of the City still preferred. Councilmember Hays said local residents should have those seats. On second reading the council amended it to limit such members to Potter and Randall counties, after which Hays supported it.
Aye = adopt the ordinance · Passed 4-1, 5-0 (2 votes)
May 2021 – May 2023 · 5 decisions
State and federal legislative priorities resolution
The resolution adopted a nine-page list of positions for council, staff and consultants to advocate in Austin and Washington. Among them: opposing tighter property tax, debt and annexation limits, and supporting completion of Loop 335, a state mental health hospital in Amarillo, and raising the hotel occupancy tax cap from 7% to 9% to help finance the Civic Center. It was pulled from the consent agenda for a separate vote.
Aye = adopt the priorities · Passed 4-1
Sister-city relationship with Dnipro, Ukraine
The idea was discussed at City Hall in October 2022 as a way to build cultural, educational and business exchanges with Ukraine; the founder of a local bakery that collects aid for Ukraine sought such exchanges. Dnipro's mayor had sent Amarillo a letter of appreciation.
Aye = establish the relationship · Passed 4-1
Display of Ukrainian artifacts and national symbols at City facilities
Councilmember Howard Smith brought the resolution. The adopted motion also directed staff to display Ukrainian artifacts and national symbols at City facilities an average of one day per week.
Aye = authorize the display · Passed 4-1
Employment agreement for City Manager Jared Miller
The council voted at a special meeting after a two-hour executive session and about a month before the city election. Eleven speakers opposed the item. News reports said the contract raised the City Manager's salary from $294,000 to $313,000 and required four council votes, up from three, to remove the City Manager without cause. Councilmember Stanley said, "For our future council, I don't feel this is right."
Aye = approve the contract as written · Passed 4-1
Motion to table discussion of a council member's conduct under the council's code of conduct
The agenda item was a council discussion of whether a member's conduct violated council policies. NewsChannel 10 reported that it concerned Councilmember Cole Stanley, then a mayoral candidate, and a $40,000 campaign donation from a businessman in litigation with the City. Stanley moved to delay it to the next regular meeting; after the motion failed, the discussion went ahead and no action was taken.
Aye = table the discussion · Failed 2-3
May 2023 – May 2025 · 5 decisions
Motion to reject the amended "Sanctuary City for the Unborn" ordinance proposed by the initiating committee
The initiating committee's petition ordinance would have outlawed abortion in Amarillo. The committee amended it on June 6, 2024, and the council voted on it after a public hearing the Charter required. Mayor Stanley said adopting it would "exercise an authority I don't believe I have." It later went to voters as Proposition A.
Aye = reject the amended ordinance · Passed 4-1
Minutes · Context 1 · Context 2 · Context 3 · Context 4 · Storyline event
Motion to reject the original "Sanctuary City for the Unborn" ordinance as presented to the council
This second motion rejected the petition ordinance in the form first submitted, after the committee's June 6 amended version was also rejected. No action was taken that night on ordering an election. The council ordered the November 5, 2024 election on August 13.
Aye = reject the original ordinance · Passed 4-1
Order for the November 2024 election on the citizen-initiated ordinance declaring Amarillo a "sanctuary city for the unborn" (Proposition A), with amended ballot wording
The resolution put the initiating committee's petition ordinance on the November 5, 2024 ballot after the council rejected it in June. An attorney for the committee said "establishing a criminal offense" was inaccurate because the ordinance is enforced only through private civil suits. The staff memo estimated the election cost at $90,000 to $120,000.
Aye = order the election as amended · Passed 4-1
Minutes · Context 1 · Context 2 · Context 3 · Storyline event
Motion to put charter Propositions C, D and E on the ballot without Proposition B
Proposition B would have expanded the council to seven members; C set four-year staggered terms, D changed recall procedures, and E covered vacancies and a "resign to run" rule. The motion would have left B off the November 2024 charter ballot. After it failed, all four went to voters.
Aye = drop Proposition B · Failed 2-3
Charter amendment election ordinance (Ord. 8144, as amended)
Ordinance 8144 called a November 5, 2024 election on four charter amendments (Propositions B-E) drawn from the Charter Review Citizens Committee's work. The council amended it so Proposition C's four-year staggered terms would take effect with the May 2025 election. The staff memo estimated the cost at $100,000 to $150,000.
Aye = adopt the ordinance · Passed 3-2
Minutes · Context 1 · Context 2 · Context 3 · Storyline event
