City Budget 2026-27 Tax Breakdown | Amarillo News

The city’s 2026-2027 budget faces a tax hike—$59 for Randall County homes, $85 for Potter County—with a proposed rate of 0.44728, up from last year’s 0.43070. Despite a $63 million overall budget cut, $6.2 million is available for new priorities. Sales tax revenue is surging to $90.5M, up $23M since the pandemic, fueled by retail, services, and online sales. Extra funds can fund overtime or capital projects. Business taxes (mostly utility fees) are rising steadily; hotel tax, rebounding after pandemic lows, is projected at $10.7M with a flat budget. Utility revenues stay strong. The tax increase funds operations ($911K more) and debt ($2.6M more), while seniors/disabled exemptions cost the city $7.5M. Council members are wrestling with complex financial software issues and pressing needs: police/fire raises, software upgrades, new fire trucks—and rising material costs squeezing budgets. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/363f140a3fd3dc8b