The Odessa City Council will have a lot on their plates this week as they host two work sessions and participate in a two-day council retreat. All meetings are open to the public.
The two-day workshop, which will be held 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Thursday and 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Friday, is an opportunity for council’s four newest members to learn more about the governing process, Mayor Javier Joven has said.
Both retreat sessions will be held in the Discovery Room at First Odessa Baptist Church, 700 N. Lee Ave.
It’s also an opportunity for council to get to know each other better and discuss short and long term goals for the city, Joven has said.
Thursday’s retreat will feature council training sessions, including an introduction to strategic visioning, effective board governance, and evaluating pressing needs, the retreat agenda details. During Friday’s retreat the council will discuss and identify the city’s top 5 priorities.
Council will kick-off the week with a 3 p.m. virtual work session Tuesday where they will discuss passing an ordinance that would establish speed limits, set reduced speed school zones and prohibited parking zones.
If adopted, the ordinance would set speed limits at 40 mph At Yukon Road from Faudree Road to State Highway 191 and Mission Boulevard from Dorado Drive to State Highway 191. A new 45 mph speed limit would go into effect at Faudree from the north right-of-way line of State Highway 191, north to the south curb line of Yukon.
Reduced speeds are being recommended for Yukon and Faudree roads due to residential development, City of Odessa Traffic Coordinator Hal Feldman said in his report to council.
Conducted traffic studies indicate the speed limit changes would contribute traffic safety, Feldman said.
Hays STEAM Academy will get a new school zone in front of the school on Monahans St., if approved. ECISD would purchase the equipment and the city would install and maintain.
Prohibited parking zones are being recommended for Country Road West after a request by TxDot to prohibit truck parking, Feldman reported. Yukon is a request to prohibit truck parking that blocks sight distance at intersections. Faudree will have no available space for on-street parking with the new roadway design.
Council will have a second work session at 5 p.m. Thursday to discuss funding of a proposed $95 million major rehabilitation of the current water treatment plant. Thursday’s work session will be held in-person in city council chambers.
A divided council discussed the water treatment plant issue for more than two hours during a March work session, but couldn’t come to a consensus on how best to fund the project.
The two options previously discussed included two bond financing options. The first, would require a city-wide election in November and place the bond’s fate in voter’s hands. The second option would allow council to make that decision without a vote by residents.
