Ector County Commissioners on Tuesday came out of executive session and agreed to hire local legal counsel to aid the County in looking at ordinances that govern local game rooms, which have been essentially zoned out of the City of Odessa.
Ector County Judge Dustin Fawcett said the goal is to get guidance what authority the County has in regard to the game rooms. “We want to do the right thing legally… so we voted to hire them to help us with planning and development.”
He said the County will hire the Biggerstaff Law Firm of Odessa. He said the Court also voted to seek legal counsel in an ongoing lawsuit over road construction on PawPaw Street.
The Commissioners made quick work of the Tuesday’s agenda prior to the executive session in a relatively short meeting with little discussion.
One item, hearing from the ConnEctor Task Force, was tabled as Fawcett told the court it would be better to wait and discuss the item later after the state has awarded ARPA to various state projects through BOOT, Bringing Online Opportunities to Texas, which seeks to bridge the digital divide for low-income Texans and others, Fawcett said. He said the local office could be housed out of the Ector County Library and said the goal is “helping students safely navigate the internet and with Telemed and other issues.”
In other business, commissioners:
- Approved 5-0 allowing the Ector County Library to send out community proposal letters seeking funding for the Gale Excel Adult High School scholarships. The scholarships help fund a program for high school dropouts that gives them access to resources and tutors to gain a diploma.
- Declared April 23-29 as National Crime Victims’ Rights Week.
- Approved a Replat of Lot 4, Block 30, Pleasant Farms; 3rd Filing.
- Approved a 1-Gig internet upgrade for the west side Annex.
- Approved a request for qualifications for Engineering Services for the Ector County Utility District (ECUD) Water Distribution Project.
This item, Fawcett said, is a continuation of an agreement signed with ECUD several weeks ago0. He said the commissioners in December, prior to Fawcett taking office, gave ECUD $10 million for a number of projects.
“Expanding the line in front of Buddy West Elementary School and improving access for larger parts of the West Odessa community,” Fawcett said. “The majority of the funding will go to getting pipe in the ground and improving connections.”
- Approved a budget amendment for architectural services for the new Juvenile Justice Center. On Monday, Fawcett said this item is simply a change order and that the deadline for bidders to submit proposals is March 31. “We extended the deadline last week as we wanted as many bids as possible for the juvenile justice center.”
Fawcett said he is still hoping that Texas Legislature will appropriate $40 million for the project. In recent weeks, Fawcett has indicated that rather than Ector County going it alone on the center that he would like to partner with Midland County or even with a 17-county Permian Basin group for a larger and more effective facility.
Fawcett said private stakeholders have expressed some interest in the project, but that the proposed $40 million in state money could make it a reality. “It’s a lot to think about … We want something that best serves law enforcement and also the families of those juveniles that will keep them closer to home.”
- Approved what Commissioner Mike Gardner explained was simply an error from several years ago when what should have been ECISD property became the County’s property and vice-versa. The lands will be swapped so that playground areas belong to ECISD and other land goes to the County, which will be used alleviate water runoff near the Tripp area.
The commissioners also approved the Architectural Services Agreement with Parkhill for the design and building oversight of the County Library, but with some cleanup in the language that was requested by Commissioner Greg Simmons.
Commissioners also approved treasurer’s reports and also allowing two justice of the peace offices to purchase new furniture.
