Council approves ECUD water rate

During a Tuesday work session, the city council approved the FY22-23 wholesale water rate for the Ector County Utility District. The new rate is a monthly fixed charge of $139,724 plus a volumetric charge of $1.2829/1,000 gallons or a comparative rate of $3.83/1,000 gallons. The new rate goes into effect Oct. 1.

The prior rate was $3.15 per 1,000 gallons. ECUD’s board approved the rate as well. A vote of 5-0 approved the rate with council members Steve Thompson and Denise Swanner absent.

The council also discussed proposed changes to the travel policy and the changes will go on next week’s regular council meeting consent agenda.

Currently, city rules say the finance committee shall approve in advance all business-related travel by officials, but no such finance committee still exists.

As a result, the city changed the rule so that the mayor or mayor pro tem can authorize any such travel. The mayor or mayor pro tem will also be responsible for signing off on expense reports. The change will also raise meal costs per day from $50 to $70 per day.

Councilman Steve Thompson brought up the need to amend the travel policy at the council workshop meeting Sept. 6. He also said he thought it would be appropriate for all city council members and the mayor to notify each other when they are traveling for work purposes.

When Mayor Javier Joven asked Thompson “what could be gained from that,” he replied, “so I don’t have to find out second-hand about Mexico and when I get challenged on it I know what I’m talking about.”

Joven wanted to know who was challenging Thompson about the trip and Thompson told him his constituents.

“I think it’s only fair I know where the mayor is going or where Detra’s going or Councilmember Swanner,” Thompson said, referring to fellow Councilmember Detra White.

The mayor said he was asked about the Mexico trip by the Odessa American and once the Odessa American wrote about his trip, the “value of the property went up four times.” He said he’d been planning on speaking with the council about his trip, but after certain investors had traveled to Odessa.

Joven was apparently referring to the Pan American Ballroom, 2214 E. Murphy, which is hosting Reliable Fight Night Pro Boxing in mid-October.

However, the Aug. 20 Odessa American story about Joven’s trip did not mention the ballroom at all.

The news about the Reliable Fight Night was announced at a press conference Aug. 25 and it was at that event that Joven himself announced the ballroom may be the site of two other events per month, including professional boxing, amateur boxing, MMA or wrestling.