Local brief
Hartsfield-Jackson seeks five more winter-weather units in $7.26M lease plan
The Fortbrand agreement would grow from two units to seven and extend through March 2029. The proposal is listed for first reading Nov. 9.
Atlanta’s aviation department wants to add five winter-weather support units to a runway-equipment lease at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, expanding the Fortbrand Services agreement from two units to seven and setting a total spending ceiling of $7.26 million.[1]
Ordinance 26-O-1660 is listed for first reading at the City Council Transportation Committee’s Nov. 9 meeting, scheduled for 10 a.m. The packet lists committee and full Council action as pending—not approved.[1][2]
The proposed annual lease value is $2.90 million. The amendment would extend the agreement through March 31, 2029, beyond its current June 23, 2027 expiration, with payments coming from the Airport Revenue Fund.[1]
For comparison, the ordinance says the original 18-month agreement was authorized at up to $1.50 million. The proposed $7.26 million ceiling covers the expanded, longer agreement; it is not simply the price of the five additional units.[1]
The department says the extra units are needed for safe, efficient winter operations that comply with Federal Aviation Administration requirements. The two-to-seven count applies to this agreement, not the airport’s entire equipment fleet. The ordinance does not specify when the added units would arrive.[1]
The proposal would also waive the city’s procurement source-selection provisions to authorize the amendment with Fortbrand. It cites an extended Sourcewell cooperative contract as the basis for the proposed term.[1]
Sources
2 official sources cited in this report. The bracketed numbers in the text link here.