ODESSA, Texas — Odessa College will officially have a bond on the ballot in November.
The OC Board of Trustees unanimously voted to call for a bond election with a $355 million bond proposal that aims to benefit the college and community.
“This isn’t just about education; a large portion of this is about workforce readiness," said Shem Culpepper, President of the Odessa College Foundation Board and chair of the community committee that helped spearhead the bond proposal.
For Odessa College, the time is now for a bond.
“The committee landed on the number that we feel will allow the college to prosper well into the future," said Culpepper.
With a $355 million price tag, the average Ector County homeowner would be paying $15 a month.
“We know that taxes are tough, we get that, but we think it’s important because we believe that we add value," said Gregory Williams, President of Odessa College. "We believe that it’s an investment in – not only Odessa College – but it’s an investment in our community and the vibrancy of the future of this community.”
Williams says they worked for months with the community committee to prioritize their needs.
The bond projects list includes 20 items that are set to handle growth at OC and infrastructure needs.
“There’s the plan to do a workforce building, a plan to do a new health and wellness center, a plan to do some housing and a large portion of the bond money is to renovate existing facilities," said Culpepper.
As the Permian Basin continues to grow, Odessa College sees education as a priority for the community.
“We need a more robustly educated populous in our community as we grow; as we try to attract business and industry to our area, we need that," said Williams. "And I think our community leaders see that, I think the educators see that, the Permian Basin sees that, and Odessa College needs to be available and ready to take students to the next level.”
With the bond now on the ballot, the future of Odessa’s community college rests with those it aims to serve.
“We stand on the shoulders of our community -- we need them," said Williams.
“We believe that based on the amount of the tax increase, it’s a small price to pay that the community should embrace and allow Odessa College to do what so desperately needs to be done," said Culpepper.