Odessa Council weighs internal search for city attorney, emphasizes need for municipal experience

The Odessa City Council discussed the process to hire a new city attorney on July 8 and directed staff to begin preparing a job description and recruitment plan, with several members favoring an in-house search rather than hiring an outside search firm.

A staff legal representative told the council the city needs a candidate who can “hit the ground running” and has municipal-law experience, citing municipal-court workload this year of about 796 pretrial hearings and 292 bench trials, and roughly 4,500 public‑information requests so far in the year.

Council members outlined two paths: retain a search firm (staff estimated a full search could cost about $25,000) to cast a wider net nationally, or have Human Resources and internal staff handle recruitment, as the council did when hiring the current city manager. Several councilmembers and staff said HR is capable of conducting a comprehensive search; others said a search firm can reach candidates outside the region.

Key job responsibilities and hiring considerations raised in the workshop included: supervising municipal-court prosecutors and the prosecution function, administering the Texas Public Information Act and the Texas Open Meetings Act, advising the Odessa Development Corporation (ODC) and interpreting the ODC’s authority (including a discussion that the ODC may use 10% of certain funds for promotion under the governing act), deciding whether the city attorney should handle state- or federal‑court litigation directly or manage outside counsel, and testifying or coordinating with state legislators on bills affecting municipalities.

Staff advised the council that resumes and applicant materials are subject to the Texas Public Information Act and that recent legislation limits severance to a maximum of 20 weeks. The budget office told the council there are two assistant city attorney positions included as vacant positions in the proposed 2025–26 budget, but no funded vacancies in the current year’s budget. Several council members recommended specifying municipal experience and relevant qualifications in the job posting and discussed whether to set a minimum years-of-experience requirement or list it as preferred to preserve flexibility.

The council did not adopt a formal ordinance or employment agreement at the workshop. Instead, members agreed to have HR prepare a revised job description and recruitment plan that emphasizes municipal experience, supervisory responsibilities, public‑information workload and litigation oversight; staff will return with those materials for next steps.

A motion to adjourn followed the discussion and carried by voice vote.