Lanett discusses insurance, abatements
Published 10:32 am Wednesday, March 5, 2025
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
LANETT — Some City of Lanett employees will be getting a break on the cost of their health insurance thanks to action by the Lanett City Council on Monday.
Employees who have single coverage will be paying slightly more, but those with family coverage will be paying less. Those with single coverage will pay $4.84 more per week than what they have been paying. Those on family plans will save $54.02 per week over what they have been paying. Overall, the city’s cost will be dropping. The city will be paying 93 percent of the total cost for single coverage and 70 percent for family plans.
“We just wanted to be in line with what other surrounding cities are paying,” said Mayor Jamie Heard.
In other action, the council renewed an agreement with Avenu Insights & Analytics, Birmingham, on its administration of business licenses and approved an agreement with Local Government Services, LLC for a cable TV franchise management advisory service.
Council Member Tony Malone asked the mayor if business licenses can be purchased at city hall as well as online.
Mayor Heard said that they can be.
“That’s good,” said Council Member Angelia Thomas. “It an be confusing for some people to get them online.”
Malone asked Heard if the agreement with Local Government Services would apply to the city as well as city residents.
Heard said that should be the case.
At present, the city gets this service through WOW!
The meeting began with a public hearing to discuss three public nuisances and to authorize action to clean them up. Code Enforcement Officer Johnny Wood told the council that one property is owned by Dorothy Cowart and located on South 15th Street behind CVS Pharmacy. A second property is on South 8th Avenue and owned by the New Beginning Gospel Church, Inc. and a third site is on South 5th Avenue and owned by Red Door Property Investments, LLC.
In the regular session that followed the public hearing, the council approved resolutions to abate the properties. The city can now clear these lots and attach liens on the properties to get back the cost of doing it.
Wood said that someone had offered to pay the cost of abating the church property.
The council named Mayor Heard as the city’s voting delegate to an upcoming meeting of the Alabama League of Municipalities. Council Members Tifton Dobbs and Ronnie Tucker are the alternates.