Amarillo’s Water Bill Crisis Is Bigger Than a Software Glitch

Our beloved Amarillo is in crisis. Amarillo is a great city, and right now, this great city is going through some growing pains. It's been a rough year with all the drama that has fallen upon our city. It seems like a battle between City Hall and the citizens. The latest crisis is the outrageous utility bills residents are receiving. For example, a single woman received an $800 bill claiming she used 54,000 gallons of water in one month. The city's answer is to call a plumber and have your home checked for leaks.

In the last year, here's what we've seen in Amarillo that has caused a lot of unrest.

• Fermi is building a data center (Project Matador)
• Closure of two city pools
• The killing of prairie dogs in John Stiff Park
• Utility Bills doubling or tripling after the new software and meter installation

What do all these things have in common?

Here is the problem: every single one of these was decided for the citizens of Amarillo. The residents didn't have a say, but many are dealing with the fallout.

Project Matador: A Billion-Dollar Data Center and Amarillo's Water Supply

Project Matador will be one of the largest data centers in the country, and it is in our backyard. This project was approved before any Amarilloan had a say. It is still causing daily uproar.

The Amarillo City Pools Are on Life Support

The city pools received a reprieve after a voice of the people, Craig Gualtiere, fought to have the city take another look. According to one of his Facebook posts from January, Gualtiere went before the city council with a plan. After meeting with Councilman Reid about a proposal before the meeting, Gualtiere spoke with the council. After presenting the proposal, the city council voted 5-0 to re-examine the closures.

Did we save the pools? The answer is yes, but only for less than a year. They are on life support.

Prairie Dogs at John Stiff Park: What Really Happened

Let's look at the issues with the prairie dogs in John Stiff Park. On Wednesday, March 11, 2026, the Amarillo Parks and Recreation Board voted to eradicate the prairie dogs. Their answer was to just kill them, no harm, no foul. But there was plenty of foul.

If it weren't for the backlash of the community, they would have stepped into the park and killed these animals, possibly hurting a protected species in the process, the Burrowing Owl. After hearing the public outcry, Wild West Wildlife Rehabilitation stepped up and helped with the relocation of these animals. Councilman Tim Reid stepped in to help with the relocation.

However, if you drive by John Stiff Park, the only sign you will see of prairie dogs is their empty hills. Were they all relocated, or partially eradicated?

Amarillo's Water Bill Crisis: What Changed in March 2026

Now, to the most recent debacle, the utility billing. In March, we shared that the utility billing system would be changing, and boy did it ever.

Are Amarillo residents being billed for water they didn't use? The answer seems to be yes.

Our water bill went from $148 to $349

I’d love to ask about the 47,000 gallon increase in my water usage

My bill went up $175 more than my normal bill. How do I get this fixed?

If it had not been for the citizens' uproar, it would be quite possible that this would have been swept under the rug, but it has been happening to many. If it were just a few, it would be easy to think these residents have a leak, and the new system caught it. But it's not just a leak; it seems to be a system problem, and residents are paying for it.

City councilman Les Simpson took to Facebook to address the concerns of citizens about the utility billing, acknowledging a problem. He is planning on adding the issue to the agenda of the next city council meeting, but unfortunately, it won't happen immediately.

I remain committed to making sure these concerns are reviewed thoroughly and that citizens receive answers.

According to another Facebook post made by John Adair, Mayor Cole Stanley told him directly, "Not one person is going to pay a dollar that they shouldn't...and we'll make this right."

Many Amarillo advocates are encouraging citizens to go to the city council meetings and speak up during public comment. Things will not change until residents step up and fight for their rights.

Many people showed up to the City Council meeting on Tuesday, May 12, for public comment, but no one received answers. Many left feeling like the city officials still didn't care about the situation and just gave vague answers.

Read More: 7 Things Every Amarillo Resident Knows to Be True

What Good Governance in Amarillo Should Actually Look Like

What would good governance of a city look like? It isn't higher taxes, closed pools, the death of animals, or an out-of-control billing system.

Good governance looks like:

• Transparency in all areas
• Public forums to receive public opinion
• Accountability on all fronts

If you don't like what the city council is doing to Amarillo, the only way to change that is to vote them out and to vote in people who will represent the people and fight for the residents.

If you don't vote, then nothing will ever change. Things will stay the same.