LaGrange City Council agreed Tuesday night to a plan to downsize the Troup County Airport Authority from 12 to seven members.

The Troup County Commission approved the change earlier this month. West Point and Hogansville city councils also need to sign off before the proposal goes to the Georgia General Assembly for final approval.

Gail Hunnicutt, who plans to retire from the airport board July 1, would step off along with Ricky Wolfe, Tom Hall, Lou Dekmar and Meg Kelsey as the authority continues to restructure after the departure of its executive director, Hope Macaluso, in October.

The representation on the board also would change. Troup County would have three members, LaGrange two and Hogansville and West Point each would have one.

Kelsey, who is LaGrange’s assistant city manager, told council Tuesday night that a committee formed to hire a new executive director at the airport hopes to have a director in place within 90 days.

The authority has requested that Tom Hall, LaGrange city manager, and Tod Tentler, the assistant county manager, stay on as ex-officio members after the board is reduced.

In another matter Tuesday, council voted to spend $143,550 to partner with the county in an expansion of the county’s construction and demolition landfill.

The city and county had agreed in February to share the costs of expanding the landfill. Since that time, the county has found 34.8 acres to buy for the expansion at a cost of $8,250 an acre. The city is paying 50 percent of that cost.

Council also voted to give a break to package store owners in the city. Currently, owners of those stores must pay an annual business license fee of more than $5,000 by Jan. 1.

“If they don’t pay this, they’re out of the game for a year,” said Councilman Bobby Traylor.

Package store owners had requested the change.

With the change approved Tuesday, the store owners may pay half the fee by Jan. 1. City staff had suggested that the rest of the fee be paid by April 1, when other occupancy taxes are due in the city. But council wants to change that date to June 1, closer to the middle of the year.

Council will vote again in January to change the ordinance to allow for the June due date.

Jennifer Shrader can be reached at jshrader@lagrangenews.com or (706) 884-7311, Ext. 236.