Column: Odessa Mayor Dustin Carnes

"Letting you know what's going on in Odessa"

ODESSA, Oct. 5, 2025 -- To the village residents of Odessa:

I’m writing today to let everyone in the Village of Odessa know what’s been happening since I was voted in as Village Mayor. Since April 1st I've had a roller coaster ride while learning the role of mayor.

We had to hire a DPW chief and start getting him trained for the job. Sam Pierce, the new DPW superintendent, will be working by himself due to the cost of labor being so high. Sam will have the backing of the Village Board to help him when needed.

It looks like the water project will be completed in the summer of 2026. As mayor I have gone through the plans and have cut a lot of wasted spending, such as $40,000 in new water meters. I felt we did not need them because I will be attempting to get grant funds for smart meters for the whole village. If we do get those funds, we will not have to spend the labor of our DPW going to each location in the village scanning the meters. This will save time and money for not just the village but the residents too.

The next thing I cut out was the second bay of the new water treatment plant as it was only designated to be a wash bay -- and it was not worth the cost. With all the cuts -- the water meters, the extra bay, and equipment we didn't need -- we saved over $198,000. All of those things would have been nice to have, but I felt it was not worth having the village's 592 residents bear the cost.

While saving $198,000 is great news, the bad news is that we are $655,000 over budget on the water project and working hard to get a grant to try and cover the remaining work.

In other news, our Village Fire Department wants to go to a fire district. I want you, the residents of Odessa, to give me feedback on what your thoughts are.

The fire department wants the village to sign over ownership of its equipment and the property to the new fire district. As mayor I will not make this choice. I want to hear from the people in the village. This is your community and you all should have a voice in it.

I have called the State auditors and sent an email out to them to come in and do an official audit of the village to see how we are sitting. As soon as they are finished, I will release their findings.

Kristine Gardener has started a food bank behind the new village hall, and it has almost everything you can get from a regular store -- so please stop by and support the community.

Cotton Hanlon bridge has been completely financed, and construction as of right now should be starting in the spring of 2027.

I have also been contacted by Congressman Nick Langworthy, and he was able to stop and visit the village and talk with some of the customers at the Bucket Bar & Grill.

I value the input of the village residents on the Fire district as well as on the needs of the village now and in the future. Feel free to contact me about any thoughts or concerns.

Thanks, Dustin

Photo in text: Odessa Mayor Dustin Carnes