The Odessa City Council awarded roughly $4.5 million in Community Development Block Grants, hotel-motel tax money and general fund money Tuesday night during a lengthy meeting where various causes pleaded their cases.
The city had received CDBG requests totaling nearly $1.3 million from such organizations as the West Texas Food Bank, Permian Basin Mission Center, Meals on Wheels, Hollingsworth Head Start, Family Promise and the Elderly and Disabled Lawn Mowing Program.
It had $971,501 to allocate and only one of the 10 organizations received exactly what they requested. The Permian Basin Mission Center received $18,000.
The two programs that fared the worst Tuesday night were Meals on Wheels and the West Texas Food bank.
Meals on Wheels only received $15,000 of the $77,233 it requested and the West Texas Food Bank received $10,000 of the $82,000 it requested.
Odessa City Councilman Steve Thompson said he’s unsure why his fellow council members didn’t want to contribute more to the programs, both of which he described as “very worthy causes.”
“I could see that I was not going to get support to get a consensus,” Thompson said. “Something is better than nothing.”
The other city council members didn’t respond to an email seeking comment.
Meals on Wheels Executive Director Craig Stoker provided a statement following the meeting.
“While I am certainly disappointed that less than 20% of the Meals on Wheels of Odessa ask was funded, I understand that the city has other obligations to fund, and I am grateful for the amount they did choose to invest in our organization,” Stoker said.
He went on to say that prior to leaving council chambers he received several pledges to help make up the funding difference.
“The clients we serve will also benefit from the city programs funded tonight, and I am pleased to see the council supporting other programs designated to help the often forgotten senior population. Also, I know our partnerships with other hunger relief organizations, like the West Texas Food Bank, will help fill the funding gap,” Stoker said.
Stoker said he’d like to get the city more involved in Meals on Wheels.
“I am inviting the members of the council and the mayor to volunteer with our program, and maybe even get the city to adopt a route. This invitation also extends to the citizens of Odessa, where we remind you that it only takes one hour a month to make a difference in a senior’s life,” Stoker said in his statement.
To donate or learn more about volunteering, please visit mowo.org.
Libby Campbell, executive director of the West Texas Food Bank, was disappointed, but not surprised by the council’s decision.
“We’re always saddened to get less than what we’d asked for. We do put a lot of thought into those asks about what we need to be able to serve the community, but we also understand that the City of Odessa and the city council has limited funds and there’s lots of other organizations that need resources also,” Campbell said. “The West Texas Food Bank is extremely blessed that we have such great support from our community, from our corporate donors, from individuals, from different organizations that really help us every day be able to do our work that’s needed within the communities.”
The city’s homeowner rehabilitation/reconstruction and home demolition program received $745,000 of the $835,836 it requested.
Here’s how the others fared:
- Hollingsworth Head Start: $75,000 of $110,000.
- City’s short-term rental assistance: $75,000 of $115,000.
- Elderly/disabled lawn mowing program: $15,501 of $20,000.
- Family Promise: $18,000 of $20,000.
The following also received funds from the city’s general fund:
- Children’s Miracle Network: $50,000 of $50,000.
- Odessa Crime Stoppers: $65,000 of $65,000.
- PermiaCare: $90,000 of $90,000.
- Young Professionals of Odessa: $10,000 of $48,800.
- Odessa Lions Club, West Texas Folk Festival: $10,000 of $20,000.
- Odessa Lions Club 4th of July Parade: $5,000 of $5,000.
- Odessa Teen Court: $50,000 of $72,260.
Council members Denise Swanner and Mark Matta recused themselves from the Teen Court discussions. Program Coordinator Rebecca Grisham fired Swanner from her position as assistant coordinator earlier this year and Matta serves on the program’s board.
Grisham said Wednesday morning she suspects her firing of Swanner led to the council’s funding decision.
“I’m very disappointed and as far as the impact on the program, our entire budget is $126,000 and as with any nonprofit, the bulk of that is salaries,” Grisham said. “That $22,000 hit will come from salaries and we’ll have to find a way to close that gap.”
In addition to herself, Teen Court has a new part-time coordinator, Grisham said.
Sixty percent of Teen Court’s funding comes from the city and the remaining 40% comes from the Ector County Independent School District, which has already gone through its budget process, Grisham said.
She intends to speak with her board and auditor to see how they can close the funding gap.
Grisham said she had reached out to the council members prior to Tuesday night’s meeting to educate them about Teen Court and the other educational opportunities they provide kids, but didn’t hear back from most of them.
She’s just disappointed.
“This isn’t about me, it’s more of a disappointment that the council was not celebrating 40 years of Teen Court with us yesterday. This program has done so much for our community in 40 years and so much for the teenagers,” she said. “It’s just very disheartening to not have the support of our counsel. This is the first time in 40 years we were not fully funded.”
Teen Court now offers educational classes on such things as fentanyl and finances. In addition, Grisham said they’ve created the Knowledge Empowers Youth Drivers Education Program at Medical Center Hospital.
Every six weeks or so, teenagers 14-18 are invited to participate in a six-hour program with their parents that is designed to help them make better choices when getting behind the wheel of a car.
The following received hotel-motel tax funds:
- Black Cultural Council of Odessa: $65,000.
- Commemorative Air Force High Sky Wing: $45,000.
- Downtown Odessa: $425,000
- Showbiz West Texas, Viva La Fiesta: $20,000
- Jr. Jacks Youth Hockey: $15,000
- Junior League of Odessa: $15,000
- Odessa Arts: $475,000
- Discover Odessa: $1.2 million
- Discover Odessa, sports events recruitment program: $100,000
- Odessa Jackalopes: $35,000
- Odessa Links: $5,000
- Odessa Parks Fall Festival: $10,000
- Odessa Parks Starbright Village: $130,000
- PermiaCare, Family Resilency Center: $5,000
- Permian Basin Fair & Expo: $130,000
- Ratliff Ranch Golf Links: $30,000
- Sandhills Stockshow and Rodeo: $150,000
- Tejano Super Show: $0
- UTPB Athletics: $55,000
- West Texas Track Club: AAU National Qualifier Track Meet: $40,000
- West Texas Track Club: $50,000
- White-Pool House Friends: $40,000
- West Texas Worship Conference: $35,000
- West Texas Football: $15,000
No one from the Tejano Super Show appeared at the meeting to plead their case.
In other action Tuesday, the city council indefinitely tabled a discussion about removing Discover Odessa from under the auspices of the Chamber of Commerce.
When asked why he put the item on the agenda, City Councilman Chris Hanie said, “I had to do something to get something” and the matter has since been resolved.
Discover Odessa, which is overseen by Director Monica Tschauner, provides visitors information about things to do in Odessa, attractions, events, hotels and restaurants.
Chamber President Renee Earls said she had no idea why the item was placed on the agenda, but noted a large contingent of people had shown up at the meeting to address the council on the matter.
City Attorney Dan Jones also told the council Tuesday night they need to start considering who should be on the board of a new nonprofit foundation the city is setting up to accept donations for a proposed $50 million sports complex in the Parks Bell Ranch area.
They also need to consider a name for the foundation, he said.
Lastly, the council informally agreed to sell the old fire station number six “as is” rather than spend more than $365,000 on asbestos removal before leasing it.
