The story: Lakeland has a new vice mayor. Michele Dial resigned as vice mayor at the Board of Commissioners’ Oct. 22 meeting at City Hall, and the board named Commissioner Jim Atkinson to the job that same night. The city posted the official minutes on Monday, Nov. 9.

How it went down:

  • Dial told the board Oct. 22 would be her last meeting and that she would be resigning, per the minutes.
  • Commissioners accepted her resignation as vice mayor on a 5-0 voice vote.
  • Mayor Josh Roman thanked Dial for her service and presented her with a proclamation and a key to the city.
  • After a five-minute recess, Roman nominated Atkinson, and he was named vice mayor. Atkinson signed the Oct. 22 minutes as vice mayor when the board approved them Nov. 5.

Some context: Dial won the Shelby County Commission District 3 seat, which includes Lakeland, earlier this year, Lakeland Currents reported. The minutes don’t say what happens next with her seat on the Lakeland board.

Also in the minutes:

  • Walker Springs rezoning: Before the 5-0 vote to rezone land on Walker Springs Drive from commercial to residential, Roman said the developer agreed to three terms residents had raised: homes of at least 1,750 square feet, no duplexes, and $15,000 toward a gate for the subdivision. City Attorney Will Patterson noted those are private conditions the developer can concede, not things the city can require under state law. Four residents spoke at the public hearing.
  • Canada Road repaving: Both contracts passed 5-0: the tentative APAC-Tennessee construction contract and the Fisher & Arnold inspection contract for resurfacing Canada Road from south of I-40 to north of US-64.
  • Town Square traffic: In a discussion about speeding in Lakeland Town Square, Roman asked staff to price speed bumps, Dial asked for a sheriff’s deputy on scene, and Commissioner Connie McCarter suggested signs and resident education. No vote was taken.
  • Other votes: The board approved applying for a 2027 youth sports mini-pitch and lighting grant from the National Recreation and Parks Association, and a reduction in the security the Ashmont PD Area 2 developer posts for public improvements. Roman also asked staff to look at whether the city can be more restrictive on fiber installation.

What’s next: New commissioners are sworn in at the Dec. 3 meeting, 5:30 p.m. at City Hall.

Sources: City of Lakeland Board of Commissioners minutes, Oct. 22, 2026 (approved Nov. 5); Lakeland Currents; City of Lakeland Board of Commissioners agenda, Nov. 5, 2026.

Photo: Lakeland Board of Commissioners, from left: Connie McCarter, Jim Atkinson, Josh Roman, Derek Johnston and Michele Dial. City of Lakeland (lakelandtn.gov), cropped