The Odessa City Council awarded nearly $3.5 million in hotel occupancy tax funds during a quick one-hour meeting Tuesday night.
Twenty-one agencies asked for a portion of the city’s hotel occupancy tax funds this year and another six were seeking general funds.
This was the first year the city council made decisions as to which agencies should get the funding with the help of a committee who reviewed each application to determine how many “heads in beds” they were responsible for.
The following agencies asked for $3.97 million in funding and received the following:
- Commemorative Air Force: $80,000
- Discover Odessa: $1,502,300
- Discover Odessa (SERP):$250,000
- Jackalopes Holdings: $50,000
- Odessa Jr. Jacks Youth Hockey: $15,000
- Junior League of Odessa: $15,000
- Odessa Arts: $500,000
- Texas Crime Stoppers (conference): $20,500
- Permian Basin Fair & Expo: $100,000
- Sandhills Stock Show: $200,000
- Showbiz West Texas: $20,000
- Special Olympics: $250,000
- 8 Eni International Meeting of Countries: $20,000
- UTPB athletic events: $$321,000
- West Texas Track Club: $90,000
- White Pool House Friends: $50,000
The Black Cultural Council of Odessa requested $100,000 and the 53rd Tejano Super Show requested $90,000 this year. The committee recommended the cultural council receive nothing out of the HOT funds and $50,000 out of the general fund and the city council agreed. The committee recommended the supershow receive $20,000 and the council gave them nothing. The council followed the committee’s recommendations otherwise.
The following agencies asked for a total of more than $406,000 and received a combined $305,000 from the city’s general fund:
- Children’s Miracle Network: $50,000
- Odessa Crime Stoppers: $65,000
- Odessa Teen Court: $40,000
- PermiaCare: $90,000
- Young Professionals of Odessa: $10,000
- Black Cultural Council of Odessa: $50,000
The city council followed all but one of the committee’s recommendations when it came to the general fund. Odessa Teen Court Program Coordinator Rebecca Grisham said she originally requested $44,593, but later amended her ask to $80,000 after learning Ector County isn’t funding any non-profits this year. She said she received a letter from Director of Finance Kaylie Banda on June 14 informing her the committee would be recommending they be awarded $89,185. They ended up receiving the $40,000.
City spokeswoman Monica McDaniel confirmed Banda informed the committee about the amended Teen Court request on June 14 and the committee recommended the committee receive $89,185.
It’s unclear if or when the committee and the city council became aware Grisham amended her request because of the county.
Last year, Odessa Teen Court received $50,000 when they asked for $72,260.
Council members Denise Swanner and Mark Matta recused themselves from the Teen Court discussions last year. Program Coordinator Rebecca Grisham had fired Swanner from her position as assistant coordinator earlier in the year and Matta serves on the program’s board.
At the time, Grisham said she suspected her firing of Swanner led to the council’s funding decision.
Matta again recused himself this year, but Swanner recommended teen court receive $40,000.
In other matters, the council:
- Approved the purchase of $67,000 worth of stencils that will be used to paint Odessa streets.
- Approved a 99-year lease with the Girls Scouts of the Desert Southwest for the building at 5217 N. Dixie Blvd..
- Sold the former Fire Station No. 6 to Town and Country Drug for $270,000.
- Agreed to resurface the McKinney playground, which isn’t ADA compliant, for roughly $112,400.
During the council’s work session, the council:
- Informally approved the request for qualifications that will be posted for the Derrington wastewater treatment plant.
- Discussed an $83,500 bid to remove asbestos and demolish the shredder building.
- Discussed accepting a 3.85 acre park that’s been developed by Leeco Properties and the Odessa Parks Foundation in the Desert Ridge subdivision.
- Continued discussing term limits and prohibiting former mayors from becoming council members.
