The Odessa City Council gave their first unanimous approval of an ordinance that would amend the city code relating to board members, allowing them additional members to existing boards.
Interim City Attorney Gary Landers told Council members the ordinance would amend the code in several different places relating to many city ordinances, part of which would allow existing city boards that do not have as many as seven members to have additional members added to move up to seven. City boards with some regular members with less than seven and some alternate members would be changed so alternate members are regular members.
“This actually allows the City Council to take the step of having each individual council member be able to designate the person you want to be appointed on that board,” Landers said.
These changes come after the November election, which gave the Mayor of Odessa the ability to vote on agenda items, and also created an additional at-large council seat.
Council also gave first approval to an ordinance that would establish a statute of limitations of 20 years for lawsuits and disputes regarding Odessa city limits, which Landers said the Council could adopt under state law.
“This is a state law that says people have 20 years in which to bring lawsuits and disputes about city limits,” Landers said.
Both ordinances will need a second, final approval before they are ratified.
City Council also unanimously approved the seven new members of the Tax Incremental Reinvestment Zone Board. This board will oversee the TIRZ downtown, which freezes property tax revenues at a base level within the TIRZ, so as property values rise as the area is developed, revenues collected above that level can be used for further projects in that same zone. The boundaries are Second to Eighth Streets and Adams Avenue to Bernice Avenue.
Two of the TIRZ board members were selected by their former opponents in the last election—District 3 Council Member Detra White selected Craig Stoker, and District 4 Council Member Tom Sprawls selected Richard Pierce. Also appointed were Jackie Johnson by District 1 Council Member Malcolm Hamilton, Dale Jenkins by District 2 Council Member Dewey Bryant, Gavin Norris by District 5 Council Member Mari Willis, Jason Harrington by At-Large Council Member Peggy Dean and Toby Eoff by Mayor David Turner.
There is no meeting yet set for the first TIRZ meeting, and more board members will need to be appointed by governing entities partnering with the City on the TIRZ. The Ector County Hospital District board agreed to join the TIRZ Tuesday night, and Odessa College is also on board.
Bryant was also appointed to be mayor pro tem during the meeting, which means he will fill Turner’s role at meetings when Turner is absent.
City Council also approved two donations to Odessa Fire Rescue during the meeting, one $10,000 donation from Chevron and a $15,000 donation from Occidental Petroleum. OFR Fire Chief John Alvarez told Council members the donations would be used to purchase items for the department, including tactical vests and helmets.
Jim Rector, a council appointee on the planning and zoning commission, spoke to the Council during the public comment period at the end of the meeting, asking them to consider putting an animal shelter update on the agenda sometime this year.
“For those of you who have not been to our animal shelter, it’s deplorable, no question about it,” Rector told Council members.
Rector said he was aware of trouble staffing the shelter as well, and said he knew one employee left because the situation they have to work in is as deplorable as the condition they keep the animals in. He told Council he has visited four different animal shelters, one being in Midland, and said Odessa was way behind.
“It’s embarrassing,” Rector said. “It’s not even humanitarian as a matter of fact.”
Hamilton asked City Secretary Norma Grimaldo to set a meeting for the Council to take a tour of the animal shelter before the meeting adjourned.
IN OTHER BUSINESS, THE COUNCIL APPROVED
- City Council minutes, Dec. 11, 2018.
- City Council Retreat minutes.
- City Council Work Session minutes, Jan. 2.
- Authorizing the City of Odessa Police Department to apply for and accept; amending the fiscal budget to appropriate awarded funds as additional revenue and authorizing the expenditure of awarded grant funds from the 2020 STEP Speed, Occupant Protection, Intersection Traffic Control, Distracted Driving and Driving While Intoxicated Grant.
- A bid award approving the replacement of the playground safety surface material at Progressive Park for $375,298.
- An award of bid for asbestos abatement and demolition of three commercial structures for $67,860.
- An annual contract for the purchase of sodium hydroxide for $205,000.
- The purchase of two Animal Control trucks for $141,040.
- The purchase of roll-off trucks for Solid Waste for $390,956.
- The purchase of trucks for the Police Department for $123,125.
- The request by 2012 Cross B, LLC, owner, for original zoning of Special Dwelling District (SPD) on an approximately 55.47 acre tract of land, Section 46, Block 41, T-1-S, T&P RR. Co. Survey, Ector and Midland Counties (northeast of the vicinity of proposed E. Yukon Road and Aaron Randy Brinlee Parker Road, south of the city limit line.) (First approval.)
- The request by Crossroads Fellowship and Compass Academy Charter School, Inc., owners, and LCA, agent, for original zoning of Multi-FamilyOne (MF-1) on an approximately 6.1 acre tract in Section 9, Block 41, T-2-S, T&P RR Co. Survey, Ector County, Texas (southeast of the corner of 56th St. and Billy Hext Road.) (First approval.)
