Wetumpka council approves property agreements, franchise negotiations and other items; first readings scheduled for voting devices and meeting relocation

The Wetumpka City Council on Feb. 3 approved multiple new-business items and added an airport surplus measure to the agenda, conducting several voice votes and one roll-call addition. Council members also scheduled first readings for an ordinance on electronic voting devices and a procedural order to relocate regular council meetings.

Items approved by the council during new business included an agreement with the state and county concerning real property; an addendum to an agreement with Local Government Services LLC to negotiate franchise agreements with Southern Light and Windstream; permission for First Baptist Church to host an Easter egg hunt at the farmer's market in April; and an administrative approval to surplus abandoned airplanes at the Wetumpka airport and list them for sale online. The council added the airport item during the meeting and approved a motion to surplus the inoperable aircraft after staff said the planes had been abandoned, were not repairable and attorneys had cleared a settlement.

The council also recorded first readings for two items: an August 2025 ordinance establishing the use of electronic voting/accounting devices for elections and an August 2025 procedural order to relocate city council meetings from 2408 South Main Street to the administrative building at 48 South Main Street. Both items were read as first readings and will return for additional consideration.

Votes at a glance: • Agreement concerning real property with state/county: approved by voice vote (mover/second not recorded). The agenda described this as "approval agreement with the state of Olive Avenue, Old County Commission in the city of Wichita for the offense of real property." Specific property details were not specified in the transcript. • Approval to enter agreement with Family Food Product Services (online concession ordering): approved by voice vote (see separate article for debate and details). • Addendum with Local Government Services LLC to negotiate franchise agreements with Southern Light and Windstream: approved by voice vote; staff indicated franchise negotiations will include Southern Light and Windstream on city rights-of-way. • Permission for First Baptist Church to host an Easter egg hunt (April 16, 2025) at the farmer's market: approved by voice vote. • Surplus of abandoned airplanes at the airport and authorization to list them for online sale: added to the agenda, approved after roll call; staff said the aircraft "do not run," have been abandoned and are cleared for surplus and sale on a public liquidation site. • Electronic voting devices ordinance and council-meeting relocation: read for the first time; no final action taken.

During the meeting the mayor also announced an executive-session item to discuss an economic-development project; the council said there would be no vote after that executive session. Several motions were seconded and approved by voice vote; the transcript did not record named mover/second for each vote and did not provide numeric tallies for most voice votes.