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LANETT — The Lanett City Council has tabled a request for a retail liquor license over concerns if there’s adequate parking outside the requesting restaurant on Gilmer Avenue.

The request was made by Taqueria 2 Gallos de Oro LLC (which is Spanish for Taco Shop 2 Golden Roosters).

The restaurant is located across from Kroger on one of the busiest stretches of Highway 29 in the local area. The building has been painted a bright orange color and often has a food trailer parked outside.

The request for a liquor license was an item of business at Tuesday’s 6 p.m. council meeting. The normal Monday meeting was switched to Tuesday due to the Easter weekend holiday.

Police Chief Denise McCain told the council that under state law the request had been reviewed and approved by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA). It is in the name of Mexican native Angelina Ortiz de Lucio, who now lives in Covington, Georgia. A resolution to approve the request was motioned and seconded, and in the discussion period that followed, Council Member Tony Malone brought up the parking issue.

“It’s a congested area,” he said. “There could be a problem with parking outside the building. We may need to put a hold on this until we can get that cleared up.”

Chief McCain said that was understandable. “Since alcohol is involved, we need to be careful,” she said, noting a possibility some people going to the restaurant could park in the Kroger parking lot and walk across the very busy highway to get there. There could be a problem in getting back to the car after they have consumed alcoholic beverages in the restaurant.

A better solution would be to park across lightly-traveled South 14th Street near the strip mall including Pawn City. There’s plenty of space there, but it needs to be known the restaurant has the property owner’s permission for its customers to park there.

McCain did say the police department has yet to receive a single complaint about parking at the restaurant but there is a potential safety concern.

“There has to be adequate parking before we can approve this,” Malone said.

Council Member Tifton Dobbs said that’s all well and good but that it should have come up before the business owner had gone to the expense of seeking an alcohol license.

When the matter was put to a vote, Malone’s motion to table the request was unanimously approved.

In other action the council approved a proclamation in support of the Saturday, May 3rd Hike/Bike/Run for Valley Haven School and declared three city-owned vehicles surplus property.

Council Member Tamalita Autry read aloud the proclamation in support of the 49th annual Hike/Bike/Run.

This is the most important fundraiser of the year for Valley Haven School. The money that’s raised in it serves as the local match for the state and federal funding needed to operate the school.

“We hereby proclaim the week of April 27th through May 3rd, 2025 Hike/Bike/Run Week in the City of Lanett,” the proclamation reads, “and we call upon the citizens of our city to join with thousands of other individuals in generously helping to provide the funds to support Valley Haven School.”

“It’s a wonderful thing that we get together every year to do this for Valley Haven School,” Autry said to much applause from the crowd gathered inside the council chamber at city hall.

Council Member Angelia Thomas read aloud the resolution declaring three vehicles surplus property. They include a white 2003 GMC truck, a white 2006 Ford F350 truck and a white 2012 Freightliner Sierra. These vehicles will be sold with the money staying within the city’s Public Works department.

The council met in an executive session to discuss purchasing some property, but no decision was made following the closed-door session.

Mayor Jamie Heard and several members of the council thanked the Lanett Police Department, the Chattahoochee Fuller Center Project and the Berean Church for the work they did in having a community wide Easter egg hunt this past Saturday in the West Shawmut neighborhood.

“We really appreciate this,” the mayor said. “There was a good turnout, and everyone had a good time.”

Council Member Thomas thanked Rev, Harold Henson and the Lanett Nazarene Church for their hosting Neighborhood Watch meetings at the church. They are planning their next meeting for 6 p.m. EDT on Thursday, May 8th.

They will be discussing plans for a community wide event they will be hosting on the W.O. Lance playground on Saturday, June 7th. Members of the District 4 Guardians chapter will be talking about what Neighborhood Watch chapters can do to promote safe neighborhoods. The public is invited. Refreshments will be served.

Council Member Dobbs thanked volunteers with the Love Our Lanett Restoration Committee for having a litter pickup effort on Phillips Road on Thursday, April 17th. He also thanked them for their continuing efforts to pick up litter from roadsides in the city and having it properly disposed of.