Following an executive session for possible litigation,Brookhaven aldermen voted Tuesday to suspend eviction proceedingsagainst three people who rent airport hangars but do not have tiesto Lincoln County.

During earlier airport discussions over hangar rental feeincreases, aldermen also voted to send eviction notices to renterswho do not live in the county or have corporate ties to Brookhaven.City officials cited a waiting list for hangars and a desire togive priority to Brookhaven and Lincoln County residents.

Tuesday night, though, Ward Five Alderman D.W. Maxwell suggestedthe board hold up on the notices, saying aldermen may have acted”too hurriedly.” He said there are two sides to every story.

“I feel like we may have made a mistake in doing this,” Maxwellsaid.

Maxwell, Ward Four Alderwoman Shirley Estes and Alderman atlarge Les Bumgarner mentioned calls they had received about theairport situation.

Maxwell said only one person waiting for a hangar has a plane.Mayor Bob Massengill added there is a second person, who ownsproperty in the county, in need of a hangar.

“We’re kicking them out because they’re not from LincolnCounty,” Maxwell said about the targets of the evictions, addingthat the Federal Aviation Administration would not go along withthat move.

Massengill, who voiced displeasure that the airport discussionwas brought up unexpectedly, disagreed.

“It is our airport. We can rent to whoever we want to rent to,”Massengill said, mentioning one person who does not have a planeand uses a hangar for storage.

Aldermen in support of reversing the eviction actions did notsay why the city may have acted too hastily.

Bumgarner cited “personal issues” and suggested an executivesession. City Attorney Joe Fernald said the board could go intoexecutive session for potential or prospective litigation since aneviction is a legal proceeding.

Following the closed meeting, aldermen voted 4-0 to suspend theeviction action for 30 days. Ward Six Alderman Buddy Allenabstained, Ward Three Alderwoman Mary Wilson left the meeting priorto the executive session and Ward Two Alderman Terry Bates missedthe entire meeting because of a back injury.

Earlier this month, eviction letters were sent to Kevin Bryant,Butch Nygren and Mark Langston. Bryant and Nygren live in HindsCounty, while Langston lives in New Hebron.

Bryant, who has had a hangar for three years, attended Tuesdaynight’s meeting in hopes of getting answers. He questioned overallairport operations, the eviction decision and how the situationwould be handled in the future when there are other hangar rentalrequests.

“I just think it’s strange that when I came down here, theydidn’t have a problem accepting me as a tenant,” Bryant said.

Also during the airport discussion, Maxwell suggested acommittee be formed to meet with the people involve and report backto the full board. Estes said aldermen should not micro-manage theairport but needed guidance on airport activities.

An airport governing board was abolished five years ago, and anadvisory panel was formed to offer input and suggest improvements.However, a failure to reappoint members has resulted in only oneperson still remaining active on the advisory panel, officialssaid.

A decision about revamping the airport advisory board wasdelayed until a future meeting. Massengill suggested board memberstalk to people who may be interested in serving and act later.