Amarillo MPO asks Randall County to affirm inclusion of county acreage in metropolitan boundary

John Barnes, assistant director of the Amarillo Metropolitan Planning Organization, asked the Randall County Commissioners Court on Sept. 22 to affirm a change to the MPO’s metropolitan area boundary that would add acreage in Randall County for transportation planning purposes.

Barnes said the request would add roughly 670–700 acres south of 34th Street on Amarillo’s east side, and he also described the area as “about 1,000 acres” while explaining the boundary adjustment process. “We are changing that boundary to include about 1000 acres of land in Randall County into our metropolitan area boundary,” Barnes said, adding that the change is intended only for short‑range and long‑range transportation planning and does not annex property, change jurisdiction, or alter taxation.

The MPO representative explained that boundary updates follow the decennial census and population‑density triggers and that the MPO may adjust boundaries between censuses to reflect growth and planning considerations. Commissioners asked clarifying questions about frequency and justification for changes and were told the boundary must at minimum incorporate the identified urbanized area and reasonable expectations of growth over 25 years.

After discussion, the court voted to affirm the MPO boundary change. Judge (presiding) thanked the MPO staff for their work and the court approved the motion unanimously 5-0. The affirmation enables the MPO to include the identified Randall County acreage in its transportation planning area; it does not grant the city authority over the land.