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LANETT — At its Tuesday meeting, the Lanett City Council approved a resolution to seek continued state and federal funding for the Lanett Regional Airport. The resolution puts the city in line to receive funding for continued improvements in the 2024-25 fiscal year, which starts on October 1st.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the primary funding source for airport improvements. The FAA provides as much as 90 percent of funding for approved projects with the remaining 10 percent being split between the state and local governments.

In recent years, an aging 3,100 foot runway was entirely rebuilt into a runway that’s more than a mile in length, making one of the longest in east Alabama. A new terminal has also been opened. It’s now the home for the Chambers County Development Authority (CCDA). Work left to be done at the airport includes improving the taxiway and apron, as well as putting up new fencing and readying sites to be leased for hangars and tie-down spaces for planes. An airport manager has yet to be hired.

A first reading was held for an ordinance to establish the use of electronic vote-counting devices for the 2025 municipal election. City elections in Alabama had previously been held in the same year of the presidential election. Governor Kay Ivey and the Alabama legislature gave an additional year to the present incumbents to lessen the number of elections every leap year.

It was announced at the Tuesday meeting that Mark Crowder had been hired as the city’s new building inspector and that Tuesday was his first day on the job.

The city’s code enforcement officer, Johnny Wood, missed the meeting. His grandfather recently passed away.

Council Member Ronnie Tucker thanked city residents on the many condolences he’d received following the recent passing of his sister. “I want to thank everyone for the love they showed me and my family during a difficult time,” he said.

Council Member Angelia Thomas thanked Richard Chapman and the men of the city’s water department on what they have been doing for the city. She also thanked Rocky Bolt and his department for some of the cleaning up work they have been doing. “I like to commend people who have been doing good work in keeping their homes and yards looking good,” she said. “Tim and Shay Reed, who live on South 3rd Avenue, have been doing this, and I appreciate their efforts.”

The meeting took place at 6 p.m. on Tuesday rather than its usual time of 6 p.m. on the first Monday of the month due to the Labor Day holiday Mayor Jamie Heard missed the meeting due to illness. Mayor Pro Tem Tifton Dobbs presided over the meeting in his absence.