Dalton council approves charter amendment for longer airport leases; approves design orders for airport rehab

Dalton City Council members on Monday completed a second reading to amend the city charter to allow 35‑year leases at the Dalton airport and approved two individual project orders for airport electrical and taxiway rehabilitation.

The charter amendment passed on the council's second reading after Jonathan, a city staff member, described the change as a narrow rewrite to permit longer airport leases. "This is the second reading of a...simple amendment that would allow 35 year leases for the airport," Jonathan said. Council members moved, seconded and voted in favor.

Council also approved Individual Project Order No. 4 with Kimley‑Horn for airfield electrical rehabilitation design and bid‑phase services and a separate project order for the taxiway rehabilitation. Andrew, a city staff member presenting the design orders, said the electrical work includes updates requested by the Georgia Department of Transportation to meet Federal Aviation Administration criteria and that the taxiway item adds relocations and fillet widening to accommodate larger aircraft. "We began the design with our previous engineer...GDOT asked us that contract...has now expired. So Kimley‑Horn is going to do that for us," Andrew said. The council approved both motions.

Staff said the taxiway project is eligible for federal reimbursement through the Airport Improvement Program; Andrew told the council the taxiway item is reimbursed at 90 percent by federal grants. The orders include a required Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) plan update to conform with federal program changes, as noted in the staff presentation.

Discussion vs. decisions: the charter amendment and both Kimley‑Horn project orders were formal actions approved by vote at the meeting. The staff presentations provided scope and funding context; no alternate proposals or amendments were raised during the motions.

Why it matters: Allowing longer airport leases can affect airport long‑term planning and private investment; the design and bidding work moves two FAA‑related airfield projects toward construction, with most taxiway costs covered by federal grants.

Details and next steps: the council approved the ordinance language on second reading and approved the Kimley‑Horn orders; council or staff will proceed with bidding and DBE compliance tasks as required for federal grant reimbursement. No dollar amounts for the Kimley‑Horn design orders were stated on the record beyond descriptions of scope; the taxiway project was described as 90 percent federally reimbursable.