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Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Odessa Mayor looking to hire second officer
ODESSA — Hiring a second police officer to assist Police Chief Ericka Rose is one of the top priorities this year for Mayor Bill Crossley, he told The Record-Times in an annual meeting last week.
Rose is currently the only officer in town. Former patrol officer Gordon Bentler departed his position last summer.
Crossley is concerned that only having one officer could be contributing to a perceived increase in crime in the town. But like most small towns, finding a second officer willing to work in Odessa has proven challenging.
“Obviously, one person can’t do the job 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” Crossley said. “We hope to get that amended this year.”
Another priority on Crossley’s list is seeing that the new town lift station is constructed.
“They were supposed to start this month, but it sounds like that’s been delayed to about mid-February,” he said.
The town also received grants for chip and crack sealing, with Crossley noting many local roads need serious attention.
“One road (to fix) is Marjorie Avenue east from the creek,” Crossley said. “But I have to get the funding for the water lines.”
Crossley said he doesn’t anticipate any new housing developments in town this year, adding that a potential builder inquiring about townhouses in 2023 seems to have withdrawn their interest.
“Nothing is really going on right now,” he said. “Most people still like the small, laidback lifestyle.”
Crossley also said he hopes that someone will take over the old Chiefs bar downtown to add more restaurant options in town.
“When the golf course closes, there’s no full-time restaurant,” he said.
Odessa has a coffee/breakfast shop and drive-in restaurant, but neither is open every day during most business hours.
Rising costs have made it difficult to balance the town budget, but the town once again adopted a budget with a balanced amount of expenditures and revenues.
“It gets harder every year,” Crossley said. “The price of everything is going up, and we only get so much revenue in property taxes.”
Crossley touted the community involvement of Odessa, noting the vast participation at events like Deutschesfest and the Desert 100.
“Odessa’s always had great community involvement,” Crossley said. “They’ve always been good at stepping up when we need them.”
Drew Lawson is the editor of the Davenport Times. He is a graduate of Eastern Washington University.
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