[{"_1":2,"_98":-5,"_99":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,86],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6364730,"mediaKeyId","2162042-21d82772d9aaf9332f2366a044135403","parentId",2162042,"title","Council begins rewrite of food‑truck rules after fire code, health code and permit conflicts","audioSeconds",1618,"startMs",1472000,"endMs",3090000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2162042-21d82772d9aaf9332f2366a044135403&start=1472&end=3090","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2162042-21d82772d9aaf9332f2366a044135403/thumbnail_1472000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6364730/Odessa/Ector-County/Texas/Council-begins-rewrite-of-foodtruck-rules-after-fire-code-health-code-and-permit-conflicts","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6364730-0955a823f2600391aa45948d835b0689/orig.mp4?Expires=1771161183&Signature=g~vBeKW1QJWpGrGwjNkdQViZryOJqKeIRRDoty8~F-w1OfAoMaBgmRudH~fv5w3yeWlh~~kx3UnkIhcdJ0jp0-kzrCqImpym~w77-NTt2mzpdaFnbE-YAXjESFgxF2lWQ5e39fEo6X6-ung-yVglcbgy8ULEXCQunDbUTWMhlk5xeGlt0jozLILeCS4ExkGCpfwsv69oQo2l4iJkF~CAx88FknTgF4wFKoycDXcpoK0kxWFpH6~GFvqYRGyAQHOkFlvbp41Gz2hyLeZWZZZLoxX8b13sEsMurKK9I60T4eNi3~gFI~05LPUcEZzKzjERZLJW7rOt-zec1kdU5107Ug__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of Odessa, Texas","date","2025-01-28T22:23:08Z","article","The City Council discussed Odessa’s food‑truck ordinance and permitting process during its Jan. 28 meeting, with the fire marshal describing how recent adoption of the International Fire Code (2021) and a separate fee schedule have shaped inspection requirements and with vendors and council members pressing for a streamlined process.

The fire marshal (unnamed) said the city adopted the International Fire Code 2021 in 2022 and at the same time established a fee schedule for the fire marshal’s office. He told council the newer code includes requirements for mobile food vendors that did not exist in the older 2012 code, notably hood suppression systems for cooking appliances, and that the change prompted the city to coordinate inspections across multiple departments. “At that same time, the city of Odessa adopted a fee schedule for the fire marshal's office,” the fire marshal said.

Under the current city ordinance, staff said, the number of permitted mobile vendors is written as 50 (the ordinance historically had a lower cap of 25). The fire marshal reported the city reached 50 active permits last year by December and said some of the permitting complexity stems from overlapping rules administered by code enforcement, police, the fire marshal and the health department. He described the current local process: an applicant picks up or downloads an application, submits required documentation (location authorization, hold‑harmless and restroom arrangements where applicable), receives a fire inspection, is issued a vendor tag if the truck passes, and then pays permit fees at billing and collections. The tag indicates the vendor was inspected and is permitted to operate for one year.

A number of practical issues emerged in the discussion. A brick‑and‑mortar restaurant owner who uses a truck for occasional special events said he had been required to purchase a year‑long truck permit even when he used the vehicle only for a few hours at city events: “I had me to go up there and buy a freaking permit for a whole year when I only maybe do 1 or 2 special events,” the owner said. Council members and staff noted the ordinance already contains a separate special‑event permit clause and that the health department inspects many vendors during concentrated inspection events (the presenter said vendors sometimes go to the Coliseum for multiday health inspections).

Councilmembers raised other operational questions: whether county permits allow trucks to operate inside city limits (staff said county vendors still need a city permit to operate inside the city), how to classify push carts versus mobile food units under the health code, and how to handle restroom requirements for long‑duration or 24‑hour operations. Staff warned that permitting changes require considering infrastructure such as number of portable toilets and hand‑washing stations at event sites: “If you’re gonna set up for 24 hours, you need a bathroom and you need a sink,” a staff member said.

Staff proposed convening a cross‑department working group — including the fire marshal, health department, code enforcement, police, planning and affected vendors — to review the ordinance, identify unnecessary overlap, align definitions (push cart vs. mobile food unit vs. catering), and create a streamlined permitting path, ideally with online application through the MGO portal once integrations are complete. Council members signaled support for moving quickly and for including brick‑and‑mortar operators who use trucks for occasional special events in the working group.

No ordinance changes were adopted at the meeting; staff were directed to convene the stakeholders and return to council with recommended ordinance amendments and a plan to implement online permitting when MGO is ready.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Odessa City Council Work Session January 28, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Council members and the fire marshal discussed the city’s food‑truck ordinance, overlapping health and fire inspections, a numeric cap on permits and the need to streamline permits and special‑event rules.","taxTitle","Odessa, Ector County, Texas","taxId",2791,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":79,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6364734,"Finance staff give audit timeline; council presses for Munis and software fixes",0,818000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2162042-21d82772d9aaf9332f2366a044135403&start=818&end=818","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2162042-21d82772d9aaf9332f2366a044135403/thumbnail_818000.jpg","/articles/6364734/Odessa/Ector-County/Texas/Finance-staff-give-audit-timeline-council-presses-for-Munis-and-software-fixes","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6364734-f9d8c871c368de01fc284b655b3cbed2/orig.mp4?Expires=1771161183&Signature=jyRG2JbWcfscHEi8i5dP7faNfR6xgPbhJTl74pZ3KsYY2OPxX3AEFnIwiuWLQDVIQ0DIBBDG8JHLEzOBY~Ge17tHcv9hvMjURp0iCGqkA4J4DSr60XLfVU2ABsCBjP2IpQZyEFRRGOAy~wVLLeeuMuoTXFAtcAfl2WQCtMx~VFd8Iz2iHz61cm-LlySbRunM5sX1JLuIPLwQpsuMWQHIgFBE-2YffntQFO2nLccscthAV8c8SHXiPcjDrcf9-CXP1~iWGmKB3ZCZWvzeHkaxQY37~8NoJSbgvZ~Z9l4CgS86fCSdp6y4U0BLS6xpj4BnBLI9k4lzI8L-IX8FbASenw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City finance staff updated the Odessa City Council on Jan. 28, 2025, on the status of the municipal audit and described steps the department is taking to accelerate completion while council members and staff debated software implementation and process changes needed to support audits.

Kayla, a finance staff member leading the presentation, said the city’s external auditor, identified as Greg from Weber, has told staff he will dedicate time to the city and is expected to be on site for a week in February; staff said Greg has expressed optimism for finishing work as early as April and no later than June. “He assured us that by the end of January, he is gonna be devoted to the city to get us get our audit on track,” Kayla said. She described a staffing plan that assigns days for three finance staff to focus only on audit work: “Starting next week, we're gonna start having, myself 1 day, Kaylee 1 day, and our controller 1 day, we're shutting our door, and all we're gonna do is audit.”

Kayla told council that some systems remain unavailable after a cyber attack and that a benefits system and certain integrations are still being restored; she said IT and vendors are working on capital‑asset and bank‑reconciliation modules in Munis and that a retired financial director acting as a consultant is assisting the audit effort. Council members repeatedly pressed for ways to shorten the audit schedule and asked whether the city could obtain more consultant time or change staffing priorities to speed completion.

Later in the meeting, Tony, an IT staff member who has assisted on implementations, said the organization’s bigger obstacle is process and organizational clarity rather than software alone. “What our biggest problem is. It's processes. People think that software is supposed to dictate what we do. It doesn't,” Tony said, arguing that departments must map and document business processes before software can be configured to support them. He described repeated issues where departments do not maintain standard operating procedures or clear report definitions, which makes implementing enterprise resource planning modules slow and error prone.

Richard (department leadership), who participated in the discussion, recommended letting each department identify the software that works for its functions and then ensuring those systems communicate with finance: “Munis does work for finance, for payroll, and it's working well. It it's not working well in other areas. ... If the software is not working for them, then they start the process to find a software that works for them.” Council members suggested a modular approach to future software changes, starting with moving billing‑collection functions if required and proceeding piece by piece rather than attempting a single‑step overhaul.

Staff identified specific technical items slowing audits: an out‑of‑service benefits package, incomplete capital‑asset records in Munis, a bank‑reconciliation tool that could not run on an older Munis version, and incomplete MGO (permits/inspection portal) integrations. Council direction included supporting temporary consultant resources and asking finance and IT to present a staged plan for software fixes and process mapping at a future work session.

No formal vote occurred on software procurement or staffing during the meeting; staff committed to follow up with scheduling details for the auditor’s visit and to return with recommendations for modular software and process improvements.","Finance staff told the council an external auditor will visit in February and the audit team is prioritizing the work; council members and IT staff spent an extended discussion on Munis and other software gaps that slow audits and monthly closes.",{"_33":87,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":88,"_41":89,"_43":90,"_45":91,"_47":92,"_49":93,"_51":94,"_53":95,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":96,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":97,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6364739,"Discover Odessa reports higher hotel occupancy, highlights sports recruitment and visitor snapshot",779,55000,834000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2162042-21d82772d9aaf9332f2366a044135403&start=55&end=834","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2162042-21d82772d9aaf9332f2366a044135403/thumbnail_55000.jpg","/articles/6364739/Odessa/Ector-County/Texas/Discover-Odessa-reports-higher-hotel-occupancy-highlights-sports-recruitment-and-visitor-snapshot","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6364739-047fdae0b3d4db8dfb04e65b5a9ad519/orig.mp4?Expires=1771161183&Signature=hUH2gFR8nDrHmRRWfIXA7qIrNrLrrfLhzK8IvDfrAjtwV7ID45ZMF90wnttRseJa98heor5LgeivdRk2rYKvYeZWjm5LAG7XDRiLHCQgnjljFAGetmX1JNHtc9~OjFwo3G5sTGUdKYQh8ndPPBz2h1BLrNrFBo93cRwxwr~CqVHU70IxJdQDFJr4qT3rEGV5YGxljvaSLEppjT3H3cVHf5MmOks9yo7H5s-cejnd554cH4g2CtZh5aZ09-KmBjAr2HfGhCgmMUu0gREg7cId44aupRzMTYTQNiAcrOP4yZuPcdd43Vt1FYywIZ5Q2UzWHqSw-s8h3PZaLero3K2BIA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Discover Odessa staff presented the city’s quarterly tourism and events report to the Odessa City Council on Jan. 28, 2025, covering October through December 2024 and showing higher hotel occupancy and several ongoing recruitment efforts for sports events.

The report, delivered by Laura, a Discover Odessa staff member, said the market includes 54 lodging properties with just under 4,000 rooms and that observed visitor devices — defined in the presentation as devices located within 50 miles outside city limits — represented about 36% of the devices observed that quarter. “On a daily basis... a visitor is anyone within 50 miles outside the city limits,” Laura said, and “we had about 36% of them that were considered visitors.” She also highlighted that “our total hotel occupancy during that quarter was up 9%.”

The office broke down event economic impact by month and by category (meetings, special events and sports). Laura pointed to a sports-event recruitment program (SERP) the office runs to support local sporting events, saying the program lists events supported, amounts granted and remaining balances; specific grant totals were shown in the handout but not read aloud in full at the meeting. She described routine assistance Discover Odessa provides to events: registration support, venue and vendor connections, and direct payments for event expenses where appropriate.

Laura said staff are building a photo library of local images to use in marketing instead of relying on stock photography, and she outlined digital and print advertising channels and social media growth tracked in the quarterly packet. She also noted several events already scheduled into 2026 and 2027 and invited council members to sign up for the organization’s insider e‑newsletter.

Looking ahead, Discover Odessa is planning two training courses from the Texas Hotel & Lodging Association, one on human trafficking and one on the hotel labor market, offered in conjunction with Visit Midland. Laura said the human‑trafficking training is required for hotel partners and that the seminar series has been offered jointly for three years to accommodate hotel owners with properties in both cities.

Council members asked clarifying questions about the “total economic impact” metric and whether short‑term rentals such as Airbnbs are counted in the room‑night figures. Laura said the office is not yet tracking short‑term rentals comprehensively but has discussed tools (she named Granicus) that could identify additional short‑term units and potential room nights; she confirmed Discover Odessa tracks hotel nights per event and that room nights are used when considering HOT (hotel occupancy tax) fund allocations. The presentation concluded with staff invitations for one‑on‑one follow‑up.

The city packet provided more detailed tables and charts than the verbal summary; Discover Odessa staff left time for council questions and said they will provide follow‑up numbers on request.","Discover Odessa told the City Council a quarterly report covering Oct.–Dec. 2024 showed a rise in hotel occupancy, a 36% share of observed devices classified as visitors and ongoing work to recruit and support sporting events.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Council begins rewrite of food‑truck rules after fire code, health code and permit conflicts

Finance staff give audit timeline; council presses for Munis and software fixes

Discover Odessa reports higher hotel occupancy, highlights sports recruitment and visitor snapshot