Settling an issue that had hung fire since last summer, Ector County commissioners on Tuesday voted unanimously to contract with GrantWorks Inc. of Austin to help decide how $32 million from the American Rescue Plan Act should be apportioned.
Noting that $16 million was received last year with the same amount expected this year, commissioners told Odessa insuranceman Kris Crow, who had asked to speak even though he was not on the agenda, that GrantWorks will make recommendations, but the final decisions will be the court’s.
Judge Debi Hays said the most that the company, working on an hourly basis, will be paid is $175,000 to $200,000 and Precinct 1 Commissioner Mike Gardner said the commissioners needed help to follow the 437 pages of federal guidelines it has been given.
Precinct 2 Commissioner Greg Simmons said the money is for the purpose of helping the county recover from the loss of revenues it suffered during the pandemic. While the needs of Medical Center Hospital, Odessa Regional Medical Center and other applicants will be considered, the court will probably keep some of the money for county operations, Simmons said.
Crow is the husband of Ector County Republican Party Chairman Tisha Crow.
GrantWorks is a grant management company specializing in state and federal grant programs covering infrastructure, economic development, housing and planning services, according to its website.
Gardner and Precinct 3 Commissioner Don Stringer said before the 10 a.m. meeting that Midland and Reeves counties are using the firm for the same purpose.
Precinct 4 Commissioner Armando S. Rodriguez took part in the meeting by Zoom.
Hays’ opponent in the coming primary, Dustin Fawcett, said he agreed Ector County must hire someone new to properly allocate the funds but said it should be a new Ector County judge. “Voters can directly hire a county judge, whose job this is in the first place, to do the job that taxpayers elect and pay them to do.”
Fawcett said federal funds belong to the people of Ector County, “not to Ector County elected officials or to some third party firm… It is the job of our county judge to hold public meetings.”
He said Lubbock County has held 14 meetings with their fellow taxing entities to decide how to properly disburse their funds “in a way that best benefits the community in which they were elected to represent.”
He criticized what he called a lack of communication with fellow taxing entities, including the city and the hospitals, and holding no public meetings.
In other business, the commissioners scheduled early voting and set March 1 for the jointly held Democratic and Republican primaries.
Early voting will be conducted from Monday through Feb. 25 in the elections office in the county administration building at 1010 E. Eighth St. and at Kellus Turner Community Center, the Globe Theater of the Great Southwest and Salinas Community Building.
A change this year to early voting is that Westlake Hardware is not an early voting site. The Elegante Hotel will be a site.
In other business, the commissioners appointed Odessa-Schleymeyer Field Airport Board President Winston Kenworthy as airport manager with Gardner explaining after the meeting that the position of manager has never been full time and the commissioners wanted the board “to take more ownership and work as a go-between with the county.”
The airport’s fixed base operator, Texas Aero, remains in place.
The court also:
>> Accepted the resignation of Monnie Sparkman from the airport board and appointed David Dunham to take his place.
>> Approved an airport board recommendation to install a walk-through gate in front of the hangar owned by Dunham.
>> Accepted County Agent Steve Paz’ annual report.
>> Donated a large number of cedar fence posts to a youth riding club at Gardendale.
>> Approved a contract with the Texas Department of State Health Services for immunizations.
