Town Council

At the October 12 meeting of the Odessa Town Council, members approved the final version of the airport lease agreement with Odessa Air Service.

Public works director Rod Webster reported he had been in contact with the permitting agencies with regard to cleaning trees, non-native grasses and debris out of the bed and banks of Crab Creek within the town limits. He said he hoped the cleanup could begin the following week. He was told that no motorized vehicles whatsoever were allowed to operate within the creek bed. Therefore, the work will be more involved than expected.

Regarding water/sewer issues, the state is requiring that water meters be installed on all town-owned facilities, such as the Old Town Hall, the pool, the cemetery and so forth, by the year 2017. Money for water/sewer improvement projects (replacing undersized lines, removing dead-end lines) can then be applied for.

Mayor Doug Plinski met with the town’s new engineering firm and agreed with them that income figures from the 2010 census were not accurate. They propose doing an income survey, perhaps with the assistance of the Lincoln County Economic Development Council, by knocking on every door in town to obtain a truly accurate picture of income levels.

There was a lengthy discussion of the Odessa Cemetery and its maintenance costs. The fees charged for burial do not cover expenses. Fees charged by other nearby towns for cemetery services were found to be higher than Odessa’s. The average of surrounding towns for opening/closing fees was $575 (somewhat lower for cremated remains), while Odessa charges $400 (or $200 for cremated remains). Plinski said there have been no rate increases since 2004. Council members were asked to keep these figures in mind as budget discussions progress.

The establishment of an endownment fund for the cemetery was also discussed. Harrington, Wilbur and Ritzville all have such endownment funds. In fact, the Harrington Cemetery’s fund is such that they are able to use just the fund’s interest to meet maintenance costs, while the remainder is invested in treasury bills. Lois Hubbard also provided information on a columbarium, a structure of vaults lined with recesses for urns containing cremated remains. The cost of installing such a structure into a prepared space would be about $13,500, she said, and most cemeteries she had researched in the Spokane area charged $500 per niche.

In order to obtain funds for street and sidewalk repairs, Plinski said an option for the council to consider would be to add $20 to license tab fees for local residents. The town is still struggling to provide services that people want with little in the way of additional revenue to draw on, Plinski said.