ODESSA, Texas — During a special meeting on Tuesday, Odessa City Council decided to set aside money to help with staffing needs across different departments.
City council voted unanimously to appropriate a little more than $4 million from the city's general fund.
Many departments in the city have empty positions that need to be filled, from the Odessa Police Department and Odessa Fire Rescue to Odessa Animal Control, solid waste and utilities.
The city said this is a way that directors can optimize their staffing levels.
"City management and city council and are very determined to ensure that our departments are staffed, optimally staffed so that we can provide the best service to our citizens," said Kaylie Banda, the financial director for the City of Odessa.
The city went to a needs based staffing methodology for the first time this year and this is one of the steps that departments have to go through to get funding.