OPI Alum Talks Amarillo Issues

OPI alumnus Jarrett Atkinson became City Manager for the City of Amarillo in November 2010. Here, Jarrett shares some of his thoughts on the challenges of being city manager for the largest metropolitan area in a four-state region.

OPI: What is it like as a paid staff person to work “for” an elected commission?

JA: You have to remember that these men and women are the elected officials, policy leaders and direct representatives of the public. They seek and ultimately attain these positions through a dedication to public service and a desire to benefit and serve their community. As a paid staff member, my job is to advise, assist, and ultimately deliver on their goals and policies while managing the daily operations of the city. These ‘volunteers’ bring an individual and collective wisdom to their positions and dedicate tremendous amounts of their time and efforts to serving their communities. Staff should respect and support this dedication and ensure that their goals are met and that the community benefits.

OPI: How has your previous professional experience impacted the way you manage the City of Amarillo?

JA: I am blessed to have the benefit of several years of experience with the City of Amarillo and its senior staff prior to seeking the City Manager position. Amarillo has many dedicated staff members who bring both tremendous knowledge and years of experience to their public service career and to the community. Without these individuals, and what I have learned from them, it would be difficult, if not impossible, to effectively lead the organization. I, the residents of Amarillo, and our elected officials receive a tremendous benefit from these individuals, and I am fortunate to have them on the team.

OPI: What has been your greatest challenge as city manager?

JA: Balancing the daily demands of running an organization with over 1,900 full-time employees and providing the needed services in a fiscally constrained environment is a constant challenge. Amarillo is both a growing city and an aging city. Infrastructure needs continue to grow due to both our growth and our age. These needs will continue to increase and it will continue to be an ongoing challenge to meet these needs and to do so in a fiscally conservative manner. Fortunately, Amarillo has a tremendous history of very stable elected bodies, senior staff and city managers. This background makes it possible to continue to deliver our needed services in the manner expected and deserved by the community.

OPI: Why have water usage and downtown expansion/redevelopment been such hot button issues this year?

JA: My experience with Panhandle Regional Planning Commission led to my interest in water policy, so this is a topic which is very important to me but is critical to our region’s survival as well. Many factors have brought the water usage issue to the forefront of everyone’s minds this year, not the least of which is the unprecedented weather. 2011 has shown us the lowest rainfall-to-date of any recorded year (4.08 inches compared to a normal of 17.08 inches), the most days over 100 degrees (50 days when the previous record was 26 days), the hottest July and August on record, and 31 different record high temperatures being tied or broken. Coupled with this, we also saw the worst year in history for wildfires in Potter and Randall Counties. Lake Meredith continues to decline and serves as a visible reminder of how severe the hot and dry weather has been. These environmental conditions have led to record high water demands for Amarillo and many other cities.

The Amarillo City Commission embarked on an unprecedented public information effort (Every Drop Counts) this year to ensure that the public is aware of water usage patterns and the associated effects on the water system. Fortunately, the public responded well to the pleas for water conservation and the system ended the summer months in excellent shape. In addition to the weather, I believe we also are seeing the effects of several years of dedicated efforts to increase public awareness regarding water in general. The Ogallala Aquifer is a tremendous resource that provides well over 90 percent of all water consumed in our region. Unfortunately, the Ogallala in this area is basically finite with very limited or no recharge. As this awareness increases, people are more cognizant of how precious and limited is the resource upon which we rely. Conservation is the key to the future, and I am pleased to see how this is becoming a common and relevant topic.

The Downtown Amarillo redevelopment effort is an opportunity to help Amarillo both revitalize the downtown area and grow the economy of the city as a whole. In the 1960s, the residents of Amarillo undertook an ambitious effort that resulted in the construction of Amarillo City Hall and the Amarillo Civic Center. The Civic Center has been the centerpiece of downtown ever since. Now, we have an opportunity to not only capitalize on this previous effort, but to also take the next step in providing further opportunity for downtown Amarillo. The proposed hotel, parking structure and multi-event venue will stand as the next catalyst for downtown and will result in increased activity, commerce and growth. The effort to undertake these projects is unprecedented in terms of the dollars to be spent, and this is certainly a set of projects of a scale not typically seen in Amarillo. In many ways, these projects will provide the next steps in our growth opportunities and will result in increased opportunities for many generations. Experience in other cities who have undertaken these projects shows that they serve as a catalyst for continued investment in the core of the city with the resulting benefits far outweighing the initial investment.