The Banks Town Council is in search of a new council member.

Council member Kay Andress turned in her resignation Monday because she will be moving outside of the city limits.

Mayor Lisa Culpepper said residency is one of the eligibility requirements.

“They’ve got to be a citizen here, got to be established, pretty much,” she said. “It’s very low-paying. So, it has to be somebody who wants to do community service.”

The council will nominate people for the position and appoint someone to finish Andress’ term, which lasts until 2016.

Culpepper said the position would be filled in the next two months.

In other news, the U.S. Department of Agriculture/Natural Resources Conservation Service will sponsor a specialty workshop for local farmers at Banks Town Hall, 82 Troy Street, Friday, Feb. 7 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

The workshop will be the first time Banks has held a USDA/NRCS workshop. Originally scheduled last Friday, the workshop was postponed to this week because of the storm.

“I’m really excited about this because it’s something Banks needs to get involved with,” Culpepper said. “They’re going to be using our building to hold training seminars.”

Wiregrass RC&D and Tuskegee University professor Victor Khan will conduct the seminars. Friday’s workshops will cover tunnel houses, micro-irrigation and planning budgets.

In the tunnel houses seminar, speakers will discuss planting, management, layout and pest control concerns when growing in the tunnel house.

The micro-irrigation and plastics workshop will discuss the benefits of the process and how it is used in the fields. The session will also cover drip irrigation, planting and fertilization.

The third workshop will help farmers develop a budget and plan crops by staggering production.

If there is a big turnout, the workshops could become a recurring event.

The council meets on the first Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. For more information or to make special accommodations, contact Wiregrass RC&D at 774-2334; James Currington at 237-3310; or Rhonda Benton at 421-3012.