The Odessa City Council has a full agenda Tuesday. Among the items to be discussed – a sports complex, ARPA funds, a forensic audit, contracts with the acting city attorney and city manager and the potential termination of Odessa Municipal Court Presiding Judge Carlos Rodriguez.
Last month, the council agreed they wanted to start holding its work session on the same day as its regular meeting. Tuesday will be the first time they’ll be doing so. The agendas for each are separate, however, because the first work session of every month will address items scheduled to be discussed during the second council meeting of the month.
During this week’s work session, Parks and Recreation Director Steve Patton is scheduled to discuss the parks and recreation advisory board’s recommendation to pursue the development of a sports complex. Mayor Javier Joven announced during a recent Coffee with the Mayor event the formation of a Quality of Life committee that will look into such a complex and other pressing issues, such as infrastructure.
Seth Boles from the city’s finance department will also update the council on the rules and usage of American Rescue Plan Act money.
Joven also recently announced he’d like the city to be forensically audited by an outside firm. The council is expected to tell city staff the scope of the work they want done so they can issue a request for proposal.
During the city’s regular meeting, they will consider signing contracts with Agapito Bernal and Dan Jones, who were appointed interim city manager and city attorney Dec. 13 following the terminations of Michael Marrero and Natasha Brooks.
According to city documents, the council is considering paying Bernal $3,846.15 per week and a $600 per month car allowance. They will consider paying Jones $3,269.23 per week and the same car allowance.
Marrero earned $238,000 annually and had a $950 a month car allowance. Brooks earned $184,500 annually and had a $750 a month car allowance.
The council is also scheduled to discuss in executive session the “appointment, employment, evaluation, reassignment, duties, discipline or dismissal” of Rodriguez. Secondly, they are to discuss opening up his position and accepting applications for it.
Like Marrero and Brooks, Rodriguez was evaluated in executive session in October and no action was taken following that meeting.
Rodriguez graduated from Odessa High School and the University of Texas. He received his law degree from St. Mary’s University School of Law in San Antonio in 2013 and joined the court as the associate judge in July 2020. According to the State Bar of Texas, he has no public disciplinary history.
Since Brooks was fired Dec. 13, three of the city’s five other attorneys have left the city.
Assistant City Attorney Laurie Means, who announced Jan. 6 she had accepted employment elsewhere. Senior Assistant City Attorney Monique Wimberly resigned Jan. 13 citing the “disintegration of work environment; political process became too intertwined with position” and another Senior Assistant City Attorney Jan Baker, said Jan. 17 she was “ready to retire.”
The city’s legal department, which is budgeted for seven attorneys, was already short one attorney. They never filled the position of Senior Assistant City Attorney Robert Carroll, who died at the age of 34 in January 2021.
