AMARILLO, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) – On this episode of the Yellow City Rundown for the week of Sept. 21 through Sept. 25, we look at stories involving the Amarillo City Manager, AI data center questions, and more.
We also dive into what happened in Amarillo on September 25, 1927.
Top of the Panhandle:
- Google, Crusoe address Armstrong County AI data center questions
- Google and Crusoe met with Armstrong County residents Tuesday evening to answer questions about an artificial intelligence data center under construction near Claude.
- Crusoe Senior Director of Development Jeremy Bachrach said construction is underway on the approximately 760-acre project, which will include six buildings. Google is expected to operate the data center.
- Bachrach said each building is expected to use roughly the same amount of water annually as 16 households. He said the facility is being built with a closed-loop water system designed to recycle water on site.
- City of Amarillo considers sex offender residency ordinance
- Amarillo Police Chief Thomas Hover presented the proposal to the Amarillo City Council on Tuesday. Hover said Amarillo does not currently have a sex offender residency ordinance.
- The proposed ordinance would establish 1,000-foot child safety zones around parks, libraries, public and private elementary and secondary schools, youth centers and day care facilities. The distance would be measured from property line to property line.
- The ordinance would apply moving forward and would not be retroactive. Hover said someone already living at a residence would not be required to move if a new protected location later opened within the buffer.
- Paxton prohibits cities from raising their AD Valorem Taxes
- Attorney General Ken Paxton sent 130 letters in May and another 110 in August to cities that, according to his office, do not meet Texas’s financial statement audit and transparency requirements.
- This is following the passage of SB 1851, which stops the cities from raising their taxes above the No- New Tax Revenue Rate.
- City of Spearman City Manager James Piper said that the city does have a backlog on their audits. Piper explained that the city was aware of this problem and came to the conclusion to not raise taxes for residents and have them at the No- New Tax Revenue Rate.
- Amarillo City Council accepts Grayson Path’s resignation from City Manager position
- In a 4 to 1 vote during Tuesday’s Regular City Council Meeting, the city council voted as part of the consent agenda to accept the resignation of Path, with Councilmember Les Simpson being the one dissenting vote.
- The line item passed with multiple other items during Tuesday’s meeting. Simpson noted in his dissenting vote his issues with the payout that Path would receive as part of the city’s overall separation costs with city managers over the past three years totaling over $1 million.
- According to the city, Deputy City Manager and Chief Operating Officer Andrew Freeman was designated as acting city manager Tuesday for up to 60 days.
Panhandle Planner:
- Upcoming events for the week of Sept. 28
- The Hoodoo Mural Festival is on Sept. 26
- The Buddy Walk and Pantexpalooza is on Sept. 26
- WT is having a career and internship expo on Oct. 1
Route 66 Rewind:
- What happened on Sept. 25, 1927
- The City Manager of Amarillo in 1927 had his water cut off because he had forgotten to pay his bill.
Weather Watch:
- From heavy Friday morning rains to a sunny and warm weekend
For the latest Amarillo news and regional updates, check with MyHighPlains.com and tune in to KAMR Local 4 News at 5:00, 6:00, and 10:00 p.m. and Fox 14 News at 9:00 p.m. CST.…