10/14/2025
Odessa deserves fair growth.
At last night’s Board of Aldermen meeting, there was discussion about “vacant-building accountability” and a presentation by Downtown Collective president Terrica Jones, who encouraged the City to consider tighter oversight of food trucks and additional rules for downtown properties. The Downtown Collective is a civic group that works closely with City leadership on downtown issues, and its proposals are often presented for public discussion.
Just for the record, our building at 209 West Mason Street is not vacant. The property is well maintained, insured, and secured. We conduct normal business there — holding meetings, managing operations, and storing equipment and materials for use at our new location. We are at the property several times each week. Per Odessa Ordinance No. 2941, which adopts the 2012 International Property Maintenance Code, our building meets all maintenance requirements under IPMC §301.3, remaining clean, safe, secure, and dry as required by law.
To my fellow food truck owners and small business operators — I understand what it feels like to be targeted. I’ve been trying to bring a new store to a historic building in downtown Odessa for some time now, and the challenges have been real.
In July 2025, the City of Odessa — acting through its Police Chief and City Attorney — suspended our lawful building permit to remove two fire hazards identified by the Fire Chief during an inspection, even though we were fully prepared to complete renovations. We would have been open and operating by September 1, 2025, bringing new jobs, local farm-to-table products, and renewed life to downtown Odessa.
What began as a simple fire-safety concern that should have been handled quickly and moved on was turned by the Police Department and City Attorney into a personal property dispute between neighbors over two obsolete shared structures. This should have been resolved quickly and construction allowed to continue. The only reason our windows are boarded is because the City halted construction by suspending our permit for the abatement of the fire hazards; if our permit had not been suspended, those boards would be gone and our doors would be open today. For us, safety is always our highest concern.
At the same time, there has been discussion about adding new limits on food trucks — even though they bring people downtown and contribute to the local economy. Rather than restricting opportunity, Odessa should look for ways to balance innovation and tradition so that both mobile vendors and established businesses can thrive together.
Odessa’s future depends on fairness, due process, and respect for citizens who are trying to build something good. Let’s move forward together — with honesty, openness, and the same accountability we expect from everyone else. The City of Odessa should be accountable to the same ordinances that it places on its citizenry. (This is a picture taken from the Odessa. MO page of the Aldermen as they were listening to Terrica Jones on October 13, 2025. Credit goes to the City of Odessa.)
