Odessa City Council accepts lawsuit settlement for Mr. Smith after returning from executive session

The Odessa City Council voted to accept a lawsuit settlement for Mr. Smith after returning to open session at 7:31 p.m. Jan. 14.

The council reconvened from an executive session with a presiding officer asking for a motion to come out of executive session. A motion to return to open session was made by Candidate Johnson and seconded by Councilman Mitchell; a speaker in the meeting pronounced the motion unanimous. The presiding officer then asked for motions on the item identified in the meeting as the “Ernst Ministry.”

A motion to accept the lawsuit settlement for Mr. Smith was made by the presiding officer (name not specified in the transcript) and seconded by Councilman Thompson. The council voted in favor; the meeting record shows the board responded “Aye.” The transcript also notes that “no action [was] taken in executive session.”

Following acceptance of the settlement, a motion to adjourn was made and seconded; those voting in favor said “Aye” and the meeting adjourned.

Votes taken during the Jan. 14 session, as recorded in the meeting transcript, were limited to voice votes. The meeting gave no further details about the terms of the settlement, the identity beyond “Mr. Smith,” or any related monetary amounts.

The transcript does not identify any public discussion or speakers who opposed the settlement, nor does it contain documentation of vote tallies by named members beyond the voice approvals recorded during the session.