[0:00] Good morning. I want to

[0:01] welcome everyone to the

[0:03] Gadsden City Council meeting on

[0:04] September 29th. I would like

[0:05] to remind everyone to

[0:06] please make sure

[0:07] all cell

[0:08] phones are turned off

[0:09] or on

[0:10] silent mode. We would

[0:11] also like to inform you

[0:12] that our

[0:13] City Council meetings

[0:14] are broadcast on

[0:15] Comcast channel 99, AT&T U-verse,

[0:17] and the

[0:18] City of Gadsden YouTube channel. This

[0:20] Gadsden City Council meeting

[0:21] is hereby declared

[0:21] open. The Chairman

[0:22] asks City

[0:23] Clerk Jennifer

[0:24] Smith to take

[0:25] a roll call.

[0:26] Councilman Latham and

[0:27] Councilman Smith are

[0:28] absent today.

[0:29] Councilman Avery?

[0:30] Here.

[0:31] Beck?

[0:31] Here.

[0:32] Councilman Wilson?

[0:33] Here.

[0:33] Manatro?

[0:34] Here.

[0:34] Councilman Robinson?

[0:36] Here.

[0:36] We have a quorum, and our

[0:37] meeting is open

[0:38] for business.

[0:39] I will ask Geet

[0:39] Williamson to lead the

[0:40] prayer. Please

[0:41] stand and

[0:42] remain standing

[0:43] for the oath of

[0:44] allegiance.

[0:44] Good. Let's pray.

[0:46] Dear heavenly

[0:47] Father, we thank

[0:47] You for this day,

[0:48] Lord. Thank you for

[0:49] the many

[0:49] blessings you

[0:50] generously bestow upon us,

[0:51] Father. Thank you for the

[0:52] wonderful and perfect

[0:53] salvation that You give

[0:54] us above all else,

[0:54] Lord. Help us

[0:55] never to take

[0:56] it for granted, Father, but

[0:57] to seek You and serve

[0:58] You with all our hearts, in

[0:59] our every word,

[1:00] deed, and thought. I

[1:00] pray, Father, for

[1:01] Your wisdom and

[1:02] guidance, Your

[1:03] knowledge and

[1:03] insight for

[1:04] this council, for the mayor,

[1:05] for this great

[1:06] city, Father.

[1:06] Continue to

[1:07] bless us, and

[1:07] I pray that we may

[1:08] always bless

[1:09] and honor You. In

[1:10] the name of Jesus we pray.

[1:11] Amen. Amen.

[1:12] Oath of allegiance.

[1:14] Perfectly. To the

[1:17] United States of

[1:18] America and

[1:19] the republic for which

[1:20] it stands, one

[1:21] nation under

[1:23] God,

[1:24] indivisible, with

[1:25] liberty and

[1:26] justice for

[1:27] all.

[1:31] We almost forgot to

[1:32] do that, didn't we?

[1:37] Good. The Chairman

[1:38] presents for consideration

[1:39] a motion to approve

[1:40] the minutes of the working

[1:41] session and

[1:42] council meetings held on

[1:43] September 23.

[1:45] I suggest. I

[1:47] support.

[1:47] Thank you.

[1:48] Yes.

[1:49] Secretary, will

[1:49] you hold

[1:50] a vote?

[1:51] Those who are "in favor", please

[1:52] say "

[1:53] yes".

[1:54] Who is "against"? The decision

[1:55] to approve

[1:56] the protocol was made.

[1:57] The Chairman presents a

[1:58] motion

[1:59] to ratify the

[1:59] payments on the accounts

[2:00] for the week of

[2:01] September 18-24.

[2:02] I suggest. I

[2:02] support.

[2:03] Secretary, will

[2:04] you hold

[2:04] a vote?

[2:05] All those who are "in favor", please

[2:06] say "

[2:07] yes".

[2:08] Who is "against"? The decision

[2:09] to ratify

[2:10] payments on the accounts

[2:11] has been made.

[2:11] Item seven

[2:12] is reserved for

[2:13] making

[2:13] declarations and

[2:14] expressing thanks. Do

[2:15] we have any this

[2:16] morning? Mayor Ford,

[2:17] good. Thank you. Good.

[2:19] Item eight—

[2:20] unfinished business.

[2:21] Today we do

[2:23] n't have any. So,

[2:24] let's move on to the

[2:24] ninth item on the agenda

[2:25] . This is

[2:26] the time and place

[2:27] announced for a

[2:28] public hearing

[2:29] where anyone can

[2:30] speak for

[2:31] or against a resolution

[2:32] approving a

[2:34] liquor license.

[2:35] This concerns

[2:36] Brinker Restaurant Corporation

[2:37] , doing business

[2:38] as Chili's Grill and Bar,

[2:39] located at

[2:40] : 340 South Albert Rains

[2:41] Boulevard in the 4th District,

[2:42] which has applied for a

[2:47] restaurant retail liquor license. Is

[2:48] there anyone who would like to

[2:49] speak against

[2:50] this resolution? Does

[2:54] anyone want

[2:54] to speak in favor?

[2:57] The Chair will accept

[2:58] the motion to

[2:59] adopt this

[3:00] resolution. I

[3:01] support.

[3:03] Second.

[3:04] Good. Are there any

[3:05] discussions?

[3:07] Secretary, will

[3:08] you hold

[3:09] a vote?

[3:09] All those who support the

[3:10] adoption of this

[3:11] resolution, please

[3:13] vote "yes."

[3:14] By.

[3:14] Who is against? The decision

[3:15] to accept

[3:16] has been made.

[3:17] Item 10 is a resolution

[3:19] on the award of tender

[3:20] No. 3649 for the project to

[3:21] repave

[3:23] Hook Street. The lowest

[3:24] bidder

[3:25] requested to withdraw

[3:26] its bid due to a

[3:27] technical error.

[3:28] The city engineer

[3:30] recommended awarding

[3:32] the bid to the second

[3:33] lowest bidder

[3:35] , Alabama Grading and

[3:37] Excavation LLC, for

[3:39] $1,129,047. The Chair

[3:40] will accept the motion

[3:41] to adopt this

[3:42] resolution. I

[3:43] support.

[3:44] Second. Are

[3:45] there any

[3:46] discussions? I just

[3:49] want to say that this is a

[3:50] very important matter.

[3:52] We've been working on

[3:53] cases in East

[3:54] Gadsden for the past four years

[3:56] . One side of Hope Street

[3:59] was paved

[4:00] near Litchfield High School

[4:01] , and now it

[4:02] will be on the other side of

[4:03] Meagan Boulevard, and we

[4:05] will pave everything all the way

[4:06] to…are those railroad

[4:07] tracks, Heath, or will it

[4:08] stop at the

[4:09] tracks? There's another

[4:11] project that's

[4:11] going to start on the

[4:12] other side of the

[4:13] railroad tracks

[4:14] to redo the whole

[4:15] intersection there, at

[4:16] East Broad Street and Hope

[4:18] Street. This is a $

[4:19] 1.1 million investment

[4:21] in East

[4:22] Gadsden, I think in the

[4:24] 1st District, right? Do

[4:26] you know? It

[4:27] divides the 1st and 2nd

[4:28] districts. So, I'm very

[4:30] proud of this and very

[4:31] happy for everyone who is

[4:32] traveling this

[4:33] road. I drive it

[4:34] quite often, and it's

[4:35] all covered in potholes. I

[4:37] mean, she

[4:38] definitely needs

[4:39] help, so

[4:40] help is at hand.

[4:41] Okay, does anyone else want

[4:43] to speak?

[4:43] Mr. President, this

[4:45] should have been done

[4:46] when

[4:47] the construction of Peyton

[4:48] Road was completed. We had some

[4:49] issues with the

[4:50] railway, so we

[4:51] want to thank

[4:52] the railway for their

[4:53] cooperation, but these are two

[4:54] big projects that

[4:55] we are excited to implement in

[4:56] this area.

[4:57] This is an outstanding

[4:57] result.

[4:58] Yes. Thank you.

[4:59] Okay, Secretary, will

[5:00] you hold

[5:01] a vote?

[5:02] Those who are in favor of

[5:02] adopting this

[5:03] resolution, please

[5:04] speak up by

[5:04] saying "yes."

[5:05] By.

[5:06] Who is against? The decision

[5:07] has been made.

[5:10] Good. Let's move on to

[5:11] item 11 of our

[5:12] agenda. This is

[5:14] a resolution authorizing the

[5:15] receipt of a grant

[5:17] from ADEM. This involves

[5:18] accepting and

[5:19] administering a

[5:19] grant through the

[5:23] Alabama Department of Environmental Management's recycling program.

[5:24] The amount is

[5:25] $45,000, and the funds

[5:26] will be used

[5:27] to purchase a new

[5:28] conveyor system

[5:29] for the cardboard baler

[5:30] . The Chair will accept

[5:32] the motion to

[5:32] adopt this

[5:33] resolution. I

[5:34] support. Are

[5:36] there any

[5:37] discussions? Okay,

[5:39] Secretary, will you hold

[5:40] a vote?

[5:41] Those who are in favor of

[5:42] adopting this

[5:42] resolution, please

[5:43] speak up by

[5:44] saying "yes."

[5:45] By.

[5:45] Who is against?

[5:46] The decision was made by

[5:47] two votes to

[5:48] one.

[5:49] We had

[5:49] representatives from the

[5:51] recycling department during the

[5:52] work session, and I

[5:53] believe, if I

[5:54] remember correctly, they

[5:55] sorted a little

[5:56] over a million tons of

[5:57] cardboard this

[5:58] year alone.

[5:59] Yes.

[5:59] Uh, from our

[6:00] landfill, which

[6:01] , as you know, we

[6:02] have to pay for if

[6:03] waste ends up

[6:04] there. So not only do they

[6:05] remove it from the

[6:06] landfill, but we

[6:07] also get paid

[6:08] for this cardboard. That's

[6:09] $140 per ton.

[6:13] Right. So, this is a

[6:14] big deal. This is

[6:15] great. This will help, uh

[6:17] , reduce

[6:17] the number of

[6:18] workplace injuries. This

[6:19] will speed up the

[6:20] cardboard recycling program. It's

[6:22] just a smart

[6:22] way to run that, office over there. We have

[6:25] great people

[6:26] working in, in the

[6:26] recycling program. And

[6:27] we want to encourage

[6:28] all our citizens

[6:29] to recycle their waste. Uh

[6:30] , this, this helps

[6:31] keep

[6:32] things out of

[6:33] our landfill

[6:34] , which helps

[6:34] save the

[6:35] city money, and therefore

[6:36] saves you money.

[6:37] You are the city.

[6:38] Of course? This, this is not

[6:39] us. We, we are elected, but we are

[6:41] citizens. This

[6:42] saves

[6:43] citizens money. So everyone

[6:44] should think about

[6:45] recycling. Good. Did

[6:48] we vote for

[6:49] this?

[6:49] I started talking. We

[6:51] voted. Okay,

[6:52] great. Good. Uh,

[6:54] item 12 is a resolution

[6:56] authorizing

[6:57] the transfer of surplus

[6:58] bleachers to the

[7:00] Etowah County Department of Education.

[7:03] We received a substitute

[7:05] resolution number 202 Well,

[7:06] 2026, then 0752.1, which

[7:08] authorizes the transfer of

[7:09] four sets of

[7:11] stands instead of two and

[7:13] increases the

[7:14] proposed amount from $

[7:15] 2,000 to $3,000. We

[7:19] need a proposal

[7:20] and support for a

[7:21] replacement.

[7:24] Mr. President, I move to

[7:29] replace 2026, uh, 0752.1,

[7:32] uh, replace, uh, and, and,

[7:34] so that it be replaced

[7:37] with 20260752.

[7:42] Okay. Is there a second

[7:43] offer? Secretary.

[7:45] Those in favor, please

[7:46] speak up by

[7:47] saying "yes."

[7:48] By.

[7:49] Who is against? The

[7:50] replacement proposal was accepted.

[7:51] I suggest.

[7:52] OK. The Chair

[7:53] will accept the motion to

[7:54] adopt

[7:55] the resolution as

[7:56] amended.

[7:57] Accepted.

[7:58] Second. Are

[8:00] there any

[8:00] discussions?

[8:01] Secretary, will you hold

[8:03] a vote?

[8:03] Those who are in favor of adopting

[8:04] the resolution, please

[8:05] say "

[8:06] yes."

[8:07] By.

[8:07] Who is against? The motion

[8:09] for acceptance

[8:09] was approved.

[8:10] You explained why,

[8:11] right?

[8:12] Sorry?

[8:13] You explained why,

[8:14] right?

[8:14] Yes.

[8:15] Good.

[8:15] Well, I mean, I

[8:16] read, we

[8:17] increased the number of

[8:18] stands from two to

[8:18] four.

[8:19] Of course. I

[8:20] understand you. I missed

[8:21] that. Sorry.

[8:23] Item 13 is a resolution

[8:24] authorizing

[8:25] amendments to the

[8:26] commercial

[8:27] lease agreement. Resolution No. R-

[8:29] 88-26 authorized the city

[8:31] to purchase 950 Rainbow Drive from

[8:33] England and Associates

[8:36] LLP, which had a current

[8:38] lease with Child

[8:40] Development Schools Incorporated. This

[8:42] resolution amends the

[8:44] lease agreement, designating

[8:46] the city as the landlord, with a

[8:47] monthly

[8:49] rent of $3,200

[8:50] and a term until

[8:52] January 1, 2027 with

[8:53] the option

[8:53] to extend on a

[8:55] month-to-month basis until

[8:56] January 1, 2028 without the

[8:57] right to renew.

[8:59] The Chair will accept

[9:00] the motion to

[9:01] adopt this

[9:02] resolution.

[9:03] Accepted.

[9:04] Second. Are

[9:05] there any

[9:06] discussions? Mayor Ford

[9:08] .

[9:09] Mr. Chairman, this is the

[9:10] daycare center behind Arby's.

[9:12] That's where

[9:12] Coosa Harbor is located

[9:13] , and we purchased that

[9:15] property from the

[9:16] corporation. We

[9:18] cannot close

[9:19] the kindergarten right now

[9:20] as we are waiting for

[9:21] FERC permits to

[9:22] develop this

[9:23] project. So they

[9:24] wanted to stay

[9:25] where they were, but they

[9:26] needed a

[9:27] 5-year lease. I thought that was

[9:29] quite

[9:29] appropriate. This does not

[9:31] interfere with the

[9:32] construction period of the project

[9:33] or the buildings

[9:34] they are going to

[9:35] erect. I hope

[9:37] they

[9:38] get everything built quickly and the

[9:39] kindergarten will be there

[9:40] for the remaining 5

[9:40] years, and in the meantime

[9:41] the city will receive

[9:43] $3,200 a month.

[9:44] OK. Good to know.

[9:45] Thank you. Does anyone have any

[9:47] other comments or

[9:48] questions? OK.

[9:50] Secretary, we are taking

[9:51] a vote.

[9:52] Those who are in favor of adopting

[9:53] the resolution, please

[9:54] say "

[9:55] yes."

[9:55] By.

[9:56] Who is against? The motion

[9:57] for acceptance

[9:58] was approved.

[9:59] Item 14 is a resolution

[10:00] authorizing the

[10:01] conclusion of an agreement with the

[10:02] Alabama Department of Transportation.

[10:04] This concerns

[10:04] the installation of

[10:05] street

[10:06] lighting in connection

[10:07] with the

[10:08] I-759 expansion project or the

[10:09] eastern connector

[10:10] road, and the city

[10:10] agrees to assume

[10:12] maintenance.

[10:13] The Chair will accept

[10:14] the motion to

[10:15] adopt this

[10:16] resolution.

[10:16] Accepted.

[10:17] Second.

[10:18] Any discussions?

[10:20] Secretary, will you hold

[10:21] a vote?

[10:22] Those who are in favor of adopting

[10:23] the resolution, please

[10:24] say "

[10:25] yes."

[10:26] By.

[10:26] Who is against? The decision

[10:28] has been made.

[10:29] Item 15 is a resolution

[10:31] authorizing an agreement with the

[10:33] Alabama Department of Transportation.

[10:34] This concerns

[10:35] traffic light improvements and

[10:36] operational

[10:37] equipment for the

[10:38] Eastern

[10:39] Connector project, and the city

[10:40] agrees to take over

[10:41] maintenance.

[10:42] The Chair will accept

[10:43] the motion to

[10:44] adopt this

[10:45] resolution. I

[10:46] support.

[10:47] Second. Are

[10:48] there any

[10:48] discussions?

[10:50] Secretary, will

[10:51] you hold

[10:52] a vote?

[10:53] Those who are "in favor" of

[10:53] adopting this

[10:54] resolution, please

[10:55] say "yes."

[10:56] By.

[10:56] Who is against? The decision

[10:58] has been made.

[11:00] OK. The mayor

[11:01] is now contacting

[11:02] City Clerk

[11:03] Jennifer Smith regarding

[11:04] the results of the

[11:05] preliminary ballots

[11:06] .

[11:07] Mr. President,

[11:09] no advance ballots have been submitted. So,

[11:11] the resolution contains

[11:12] numbers collected on

[11:13] election night. So, this

[11:15] resolution is ready for

[11:16] adoption

[11:17] as

[11:18] written.

[11:18] OK. Thank you very much.

[11:20] OK. So, this is our 16th

[11:22] agenda item

[11:23] . This is a resolution

[11:25] announcing

[11:25] the results of the

[11:26] municipal

[11:27] elections. This is to announce

[11:28] that Lamont Kyle

[11:29] has received a majority of the

[11:31] votes in the

[11:33] September 22 runoff election for the position of

[11:34] Councilman for

[11:35] District 1 and

[11:36] is hereby declared elected

[11:37] to that position for a

[11:39] term

[11:39] beginning on the first

[11:41] Monday in November

[11:42] 2026. The Chair

[11:43] will accept the motion

[11:44] to adopt this

[11:45] resolution. I

[11:46] support.

[11:47] Second. Are

[11:48] there any

[11:48] discussions?

[11:51] Secretary, will

[11:52] you hold

[11:52] a vote?

[11:53] Those who are "in favor" of

[11:54] adopting this

[11:55] resolution, please

[11:56] say "yes."

[11:57] By.

[11:57] Who is against? The decision

[11:59] has been made.

[12:00] Mr. Kyle, I see you

[12:02] in the hall. I want to

[12:03] congratulate you. I look forward

[12:04] to

[12:06] working with you.

[12:07] Okay, paragraph 17 goes in the

[12:09] first

[12:10] reading section. This is an ordinance

[12:11] to amend

[12:13] Section 74 of the City

[12:14] Code to

[12:15] add Article 12

[12:16] regarding licensing the

[12:18] sale of consumer

[12:19] hemp products. This

[12:20] resolution is being presented

[12:22] for first

[12:23] reading today, and the council

[12:24] will vote on it

[12:25] next week.

[12:27] Okay, item 18—new

[12:28] cases. We have, uh,

[12:30] I think, three items

[12:31] today, and if we

[12:32] could start with

[12:33] Councilman Robinson.

[12:36] With what you have for

[12:37] them from the engineering

[12:38] department.

[12:41] Sorry. Yes, I have,

[12:45] uh, a resolution

[12:46] authorizing a

[12:47] no-fee agreement with the

[12:48] gas,

[12:50] water, and

[12:51] sewer board. This is

[12:52] actually for, uh,

[12:53] moving

[12:54] utilities in connection

[12:55] with the replacement of the

[12:56] Hickory Street bridge so

[12:57] they can

[12:58] continue working.

[12:59] Because that bridge there

[13:00] , in the 5th district, is in dire

[13:01] need of replacement, and the

[13:03] replacement will be done soon.

[13:04] So, we have to

[13:05] move these

[13:06] communications. So,

[13:07] if I could ask

[13:08] colleagues to look into this

[13:09] today, I would

[13:10] appreciate it.

[13:11] Good. I

[13:12] support. Is

[13:12] there a second opinion? I

[13:14] support.

[13:15] Good. Secretary, will

[13:16] you hold

[13:17] a vote?

[13:18] Those in favor of considering this

[13:19] resolution as an agenda item

[13:21] today, please

[13:22] say "yes."

[13:23] Yes.

[13:23] Who is against? Consent

[13:25] received.

[13:26] I propose to approve. I

[13:28] support.

[13:30] Secretary, will

[13:31] you hold

[13:32] a vote?

[13:33] Those in favor of adopting this

[13:34] resolution, please

[13:35] say "yes."

[13:36] Yes.

[13:37] Who is against? The decision

[13:38] has been made.

[13:39] Okay, thank you, Councilman

[13:40] Robertson.

[13:42] Councilman Monatree,

[13:43] you have another question

[13:44] from the engineering

[13:45] department.

[13:45] Um, thank you, Mr.

[13:46] President. Um, yes,

[13:49] I have, um, 0763. This is

[13:51] a resolution authorizing the

[13:54] Gadsden Etowah MS4 agreement. Um, this is

[13:58] an agreement that will include the

[14:00] cities of Gadsden,

[14:01] Rainbow City,

[14:02] Southside, Hawkes Bluff

[14:04] , the Etowah County Commission

[14:05] , and the cities of

[14:06] Attalla and Glencoe. Um,

[14:13] this is a

[14:13] monitoring system, um, we

[14:15] actually, um,

[14:16] contract,

[14:17] each of these

[14:18] organizations

[14:20] contracts with TTL Incorporated.

[14:32] They will perform the

[14:33] necessary

[14:34] sampling and analysis of

[14:35] water discharges, which will include

[14:37] all the organizations that,

[14:38] um, implement

[14:40] stormwater management, which

[14:41] reduces the amount of

[14:42] untreated runoff from

[14:44] all the, um, areas

[14:45] that I mentioned, um, that

[14:46] discharge water into

[14:47] local bodies of water within

[14:48] our county.

[14:57] So I would like to

[14:58] ask my colleagues if

[14:59] we can

[15:00] suspend the rules

[15:01] and vote on this

[15:02] today.

[15:03] Excuse me, could

[15:05] you repeat all that again

[15:06] ? I didn't understand the

[15:09] first time. I

[15:10] support.

[15:11] I am not a chemist.

[15:12] Secretary, will

[15:13] you hold

[15:14] a vote?

[15:15] I heard support.

[15:16] Who received Who for

[15:21] considering the resolution

[15:22] today, please

[15:24] say "yes."

[15:25] Yes.

[15:25] Who is against? Consent

[15:27] received.

[15:27] I propose to approve. I

[15:30] support.

[15:31] Secretary, will

[15:32] you hold

[15:33] a vote?

[15:34] Those in favor of adopting

[15:35] the resolution, please

[15:36] say "yes."

[15:37] Yes.

[15:37] Who is against? The decision

[15:39] has been made.

[15:40] Okay, and Councilman

[15:41] Avery, you have a couple of

[15:42] questions for the

[15:43] police

[15:44] department this

[15:45] morning.

[15:45] Good. Um, since

[15:49] one is acceptance and the

[15:50] other is assistance with

[15:51] it, can I

[15:52] submit both at the

[15:53] same time? Good.

[15:58] So, it would be, um,

[16:01] legal acts 2026-0774 and

[16:04] then 2026-0775. Uh, the first one

[16:11] is an application for a

[16:12] JAG grant,

[16:14] or

[16:15] Edward Byrne Memorial Grant

[16:17] for Assistance in the

[16:19] Justice System, for

[16:20] fiscal year 2026, a

[16:21] local request for

[16:23] $19,233. Uh,

[16:29] these funds will be

[16:30] allocated

[16:30] to the police

[16:31] department to

[16:32] purchase a certain

[16:33] type of rifle.

[16:35] 14.

[16:38] uh, 14 carbines

[16:39] that are needed for

[16:41] this particular, uh,

[16:49] Gadsden Police Joint Special Operations Task Force.

[16:50] OK. Uh, in

[16:54] addition to that, there's a

[16:55] companion resolution

[16:57] that approves and

[16:57] allows us

[16:58] to accept the grant and, uh,

[17:00] move forward with the

[17:01] funding. Uh,

[17:06] so I'm asking, uh,

[17:09] asking my colleagues

[17:10] to accept this, uh, as a

[17:12] new agenda item

[17:13] today.

[17:14] Good. Is there anyone else? I

[17:16] support.

[17:18] I will be the first.

[17:19] Sorry?

[17:20] Who made the proposal?

[17:22] Mr. Avery. Councilman

[17:24] Avery.

[17:24] Three six, okay.

[17:26] Secretary, will

[17:27] you hold

[17:28] a vote?

[17:28] Three seven.

[17:29] Those who are in favor of

[17:30] considering both

[17:31] resolutions as new

[17:32] issues today,

[17:33] please

[17:34] speak up by

[17:34] saying "yes."

[17:35] Yes.

[17:36] Who is against? Consent

[17:37] received.

[17:39] I propose to approve. I

[17:42] support.

[17:44] Secretary, will you hold

[17:45] a vote?

[17:46] Those who are in favor of

[17:47] adopting both

[17:48] resolutions, please

[17:49] speak up by

[17:50] saying "yes."

[17:51] Yes.

[17:51] Who is against? The decision

[17:52] to adopt both

[17:53] resolutions was made.

[17:55] Okay, thank you. So, we

[17:56] moved on to

[17:57] agenda item 19,

[17:58] reports from departments,

[17:59] committees, councils. Do

[18:00] we have any of those this morning,

[18:02] acting mayor?

[18:03] No.

[18:03] okay. Then

[18:05] we move on to item

[18:06] 20, a request for citizens

[18:07] to speak. We have

[18:09] Janester Crockton with us,

[18:10] who wants to tell

[18:11] us about the Ribbon Cup.

[18:26] Good morning, Mrs.

[18:28] Crockton.

[18:28] Good morning.

[18:29] Nice to see you again

[18:31] .

[18:31] Or good afternoon,

[18:32] actually.

[18:32] That's right. Yes.

[18:33] How are you doing

[18:34] today?

[18:35] Perfectly.

[18:35] Good. I'm not here for long

[18:36] . I've

[18:37] told

[18:38] you about "Voicing Value" before. Uh,

[18:40] and basically, we're a

[18:40] non-profit

[18:41] organization, we

[18:42] help anyone with

[18:43] any type of

[18:44] cancer or rare

[18:45] disease. We

[18:46] provide

[18:48] patient advocacy services and have

[18:49] about six different

[18:50] programs. One of the things

[18:51] we're launching on

[18:53] October 1st is a friendly

[18:54] competition between different

[18:55] cities in

[18:56] Etowah County. And I just

[18:58] found out that there are 10 of them

[19:00] . I didn't know we had 10

[19:02] different cities in

[19:03] Etowah County. And it's easy to

[19:05] , uh, participate in this. This

[19:07] will be an interesting event, and

[19:09] essentially, it's all to

[19:10] raise

[19:11] awareness about different types of

[19:12] cancer and rare

[19:13] diseases. So, I'm

[19:16] asking everyone who is on

[19:18] Facebook to simply

[19:19] follow the

[19:20] Voice and Value Health

[19:22] Advocacy Foundation page. Take a

[19:24] photo with your group.

[19:25] It can be any

[19:26] group. This could be a

[19:27] work team or a

[19:28] church community. This

[19:29] could be a social

[19:30] club or community

[19:31] organization. It

[19:32] could be your

[19:33] neighbors. It can be

[19:34] anyone, as long as it's

[19:36] two people, and you

[19:37] have to dress in a

[19:38] color that's dedicated to a

[19:39] specific

[19:40] cancer awareness month.

[19:42] For example, in September

[19:44] we had five topics. These are

[19:46] thyroid cancer

[19:48] , blood cancer,

[19:49] gynecological cancer,

[19:50] and childhood cancer. So

[19:53] you could take

[19:53] five different photos, and

[19:54] for rare

[19:55] diseases, we

[19:56] had

[19:56] sickle cell

[19:58] anemia. So

[19:59] you could have taken a

[20:00] total of six

[20:01] photos. All I

[20:02] ask is to take

[20:03] a photo, dress your

[20:04] group in this color, and

[20:05] tag your city.

[20:07] At the end of each

[20:08] month, as part of a

[20:09] friendly competition,

[20:10] we will be giving away a

[20:11] banner. It will

[20:12] be called the "

[20:13] Ribbon Club." It

[20:16] looks something like this

[20:17] and will hang in

[20:18] front of the city hall or

[20:19] another place in the

[20:20] city where the

[20:21] largest photo was taken. Along

[20:26] with this, I will be

[20:27] posting tips

[20:28] and information on

[20:29] signs and symptoms, things to look out for

[20:31] , resources for

[20:33] treatment, and more. This

[20:35] way, everyone will gain

[20:36] knowledge, it will be a

[20:37] fun and easy

[20:38] way for us to

[20:39] participate together.

[20:40] At the end of the year, we

[20:41] will hold a gala evening

[20:42] and announce the big

[20:44] winner. Actually, that's

[20:45] all I wanted to

[20:46] talk about. Something new is

[20:47] emerging in

[20:48] Etowah County. This

[20:49] will be called the "

[20:50] Ribbon Club." I have

[20:51] several flyers and

[20:52] brochures. If anyone

[20:53] needs more

[20:54] information,

[20:54] please come to

[20:55] me after I'm

[20:56] done. Well

[20:56] , thank you very much. This is a

[20:58] great idea.

[20:59] Thank you. Oh, and one last thing.

[21:03] Yes, ma'am.

[21:04] I have to talk about

[21:05] October, since it will be here

[21:06] soon.

[21:09] October is breast

[21:11] cancer awareness month

[21:12] , when

[21:13] we wear pink, and it

[21:14] also seems to be

[21:16] peritoneal cancer and

[21:17] liver cancer. So, those are three

[21:21] topics, and the rare

[21:22] disease would be a

[21:23] neurological disorder

[21:25] . Mostly it is

[21:26] cerebral

[21:27] palsy or

[21:28] Rett syndrome. So I

[21:29] will report on the different

[21:31] colors. Yes, this is your

[21:32] opportunity. Thank you.

[21:34] Mrs. Proctor.

[21:36] Our next

[21:37] speaker is Fred

[21:38] Zachary, and his topic is

[21:39] water.

[22:00] Good afternoon.

[22:01] Mr.

[22:02] Zachary.

[22:06] I have come to

[22:07] you today to talk

[22:09] about an existential

[22:10] threat to our

[22:10] community. This is poisoned

[22:14] water. And I heard many times

[22:18] , when I got up to

[22:19] say this, that she had already

[22:21] been checked. It can

[22:24] lead you to death

[22:25] . So the water problem in

[22:28] the community needs to

[22:29] be solved. Staying silent

[22:34] is not an option, in my

[22:35] opinion, because now

[22:36] information

[22:37] spreads around the world

[22:38] in a matter of seconds.

[22:41] So you can't

[22:42] hide anything here

[22:44] in Gaston except what

[22:45] you've been hiding

[22:46] all this time. But in

[22:50] any case, this is

[22:51] poisoning the source. Here is a

[22:54] book that I will leave with

[22:56] the secretary so you

[22:57] can read it

[22:58] if you wish. You

[22:59] don't need to say it's

[23:01] verified.

[23:02] You don't need to

[23:03] deny that this is

[23:04] happening, because it's

[23:05] true. No one from the

[23:09] municipality's leadership

[23:10] showed up for the

[23:11] Frontline presentation.

[23:14] Although it seems Mr.

[23:15] Avery was there.

[23:18] Frontline presentation

[23:19] regarding the

[23:20] documentary that was

[23:21] produced. And Gastonia

[23:24] was featured in that

[23:26] documentary. You must

[23:28] address the

[23:30] water issue. I don't know anyone

[23:31] who could live without

[23:33] water. We made a

[23:34] fuss when we were building

[23:36] that processing plant

[23:37] because of the smell. And I was

[23:39] one of them. You can

[23:41] live with a bad

[23:42] smell, but you can't

[23:43] live with poisoned water

[23:44] . PFAS in water is a

[23:48] polycarbon

[23:49] compound that is now

[23:51] called a forever

[23:52] chemical. And

[23:58] it is eternal, because

[24:00] polycarbonates can

[24:01] remain in our

[24:02] environment for up to 125

[24:04] years. So most

[24:10] of us won't be around to

[24:11] see

[24:12] PFAS disappear from the riverbed. There wo

[24:16] n't be any of us, and I won't have to

[24:17] worry about

[24:18] poisoned water.

[24:21] Building this city,

[24:22] transforming it into

[24:23] something new—it's wonderful.

[24:26] But have you read The

[24:27] Little Prince?

[24:32] You can't be a

[24:33] king without a

[24:33] kingdom. And you can't

[24:35] have a

[24:36] kingdom without water.

[24:39] So I strongly

[24:41] suggest you

[24:41] get involved in the water. You

[24:44] won't be able

[24:46] to find a solution instantly, because

[24:47] cleaning up the riverbed

[24:49] will probably cost billions of

[24:50] dollars. So, at this

[24:53] point, there is no solution yet

[24:54] . But you

[24:58] can start

[24:58] informing citizens

[25:00] about what is

[25:00] happening to the water.

[25:03] So that they can take the

[25:05] necessary

[25:06] safety measures. The young lady

[25:07] was talking about cancer.

[25:10] We have new

[25:12] pancreatic cancer foci

[25:13] in this area. We

[25:16] need to discuss

[25:17] all the diseases

[25:18] linked to these PFAS.

[25:22] So, it would be good

[25:23] if you guys

[25:24] came to that

[25:25] theater and listened to

[25:27] the experts. We would gain

[25:30] understanding. There is a lot of

[25:32] work here. I know. I know

[25:34] you are very busy.

[25:35] But some things

[25:36] cannot be ignored. And I'll

[25:40] be sure to leave

[25:42] some books with the new secretary so you

[25:43] can take them and

[25:44] read them if you

[25:45] like. Read

[25:49] about the water situation.

[25:52] I've been doing this for 13

[25:54] years. I traveled

[25:56] everywhere. I interviewed and

[25:58] spoke with

[25:59] many experts.

[26:00] This is not going away.

[26:03] There are 165 communities in America with

[26:09] PFAS problems, and

[26:10] Alabama figures in

[26:12] almost every one of them.

[26:15] Alabama, not Gaston, but

[26:16] Alabama. So we have to

[26:18] solve

[26:19] the problem with PFAS. And we

[26:21] must engage in

[26:23] community education on how to

[26:25] protect ourselves

[26:26] in the midst of this water

[26:27] crisis. I heard someone

[26:30] ask when I

[26:31] came in what

[26:32] happened to me. I fell. I

[26:35] broke my spine. But I'm still

[26:38] working. We have to

[26:41] deal

[26:43] with the water. Please

[26:45] do this. That's all

[26:46] I want to

[26:47] ask of you. I also

[26:48] want to ask

[26:50] one thing, Mr. Mayor. I

[26:53] understand that behind

[26:54] the college, on

[26:56] land leased from the city,

[26:56] irrigation is carried out

[26:58] directly from

[26:59] the river. I want to

[27:05] ask you to consider

[27:07] stopping this

[27:08] as soon as possible,

[27:08] as the skin is the

[27:10] largest organ of the

[27:11] body, as we all know

[27:12] . So when children

[27:19] crawl through fields,

[27:20] get scratches

[27:21] and abrasions, and

[27:22] pollutants

[27:23] get into their

[27:24] young bodies, it's

[27:25] not fair. I don't

[27:32] know if you pay for

[27:34] water or not, whatever it is

[27:35] , please

[27:36] consider

[27:37] stopping direct

[27:38] irrigation from the Kusa River

[27:39] , because it's a bad place

[27:41] to take water. That's

[27:47] all. Finally,

[27:54] contaminants are in

[27:55] our food because we

[27:56] grow it, they are

[27:57] when we cook, they are

[27:59] in your

[28:00] swimming water, they are in your drinking

[28:01] water, and there is no

[28:02] amount of PFAS that

[28:04] studies have shown is

[28:05] safe for you.

[28:13] I don't care what

[28:14] the tests show, whether

[28:15] it's a high dose or a

[28:16] low dose, there is

[28:17] no safe amount for you

[28:18] . I want to

[28:22] thank you,

[28:23] welcome the new board,

[28:24] and thank the old

[28:25] board for the

[28:26] work they did, and I miss

[28:27] my friend

[28:28] Jason. We

[28:32] talked a lot about

[28:33] this water problem for a long time.

[28:36] He understood this very

[28:37] well. So, um,

[28:39] let's just do a

[28:40] better job. There's

[28:45] nothing you

[28:46] can do about it now,

[28:47] but you can

[28:48] inform the community

[28:49] about the

[28:50] predicament we'll

[28:51] find ourselves in

[28:52] a few years if we don't

[28:53] solve the

[28:54] water problem. Thank you.

[28:59] Mr. Zachary.

[29:03] Okay, let's move on to

[29:04] the speeches of the mayor and

[29:05] council members. Mayor

[29:07] Ford, start with

[29:08] yourself.

[29:08] Uh, I just want to

[29:09] thank our

[29:11] staff and our

[29:12] employees for everything

[29:13] they've done

[29:14] lately. They, uh

[29:15] , never

[29:16] missed a beat. Mr. Chairman,

[29:18] council members, and community

[29:19] , we have been very fortunate

[29:20] to receive many

[29:22] grants over the past 6

[29:23] days, and so I want to

[29:24] thank the team

[29:25] for their work. We

[29:28] announced some great

[29:29] grants, and we want to

[29:30] thank the

[29:31] Robinson family in the 3rd

[29:32] District for

[29:33] allowing us to

[29:34] purchase and

[29:35] build a

[29:37] community water playground, restrooms there, and

[29:38] more. I think it

[29:39] will be a great

[29:40] addition to this

[29:41] area. I also want to

[29:43] thank Heath

[29:44] Williamson for

[29:45] Hawk Street. And I think

[29:47] we're wrapping up

[29:48] the work on Peyton Road

[29:49] with the final

[29:49] paving, and just so

[29:51] you know, we're

[29:51] calling it

[29:53] Chicken Factory Road.

[29:54] But asphalting

[29:56] this road is also in the

[29:57] plans. So

[29:58] asphalting is now in

[29:59] full swing.

[30:00] They're in Walnut Park, and

[30:01] they were putting

[30:02] asphalt in The Falls, kind of

[30:03] inside the park,

[30:04] getting ready for Christmas,

[30:05] and now they're

[30:06] back in

[30:07] Walnut Park again. Then

[30:08] they will return to

[30:09] North Gaston.

[30:10] So we're excited about

[30:12] that. There are

[30:13] a lot of

[30:14] good things happening right now. We

[30:16] got a great

[30:17] grant for the amphitheater,

[30:18] it's almost like a goldmine

[30:19] for grants,

[30:20] just because it

[30:21] was built under the

[30:22] WPA program during

[30:23] Roosevelt's time, and so we

[30:24] can

[30:25] apply for a lot of

[30:26] grants that you

[30:27] can't apply for anywhere else

[30:28] except through the historical

[30:29] society. John

[30:31] just received a grant

[30:32] for 800-something thousand

[30:34] dollars for sound and

[30:35] lighting at the

[30:36] amphitheater. So when

[30:37] Bill Avery comes on

[30:38] stage, you'll be able to

[30:39] see him. Because he

[30:41] sings like a bird. So

[30:42] we are very happy about this. And

[30:44] on Saturday night there's a

[30:45] big concert with

[30:45] Bill Avery. I'm not

[30:46] sure about the name of

[30:47] his band. It seems

[30:48] he has left. John, what's the

[30:49] name of his

[30:50] band?

[30:51] I think it's Bill

[30:52] Avery. It's

[30:53] called "Soul revival".

[30:54] "

[30:54] Soul revival". And a concert on

[30:56] Saturday night in the

[30:57] amphitheater.

[30:58] Stay with us.

[30:59] Due to rain, the event may

[31:00] be moved to

[31:01] Pitman or to

[31:02] Building 210 on the tracks.

[31:03] Tickets are only

[31:04] $10. So

[31:05] please come. We are

[31:06] very happy about this

[31:07] event. He is a wonderful

[31:08] local artist in

[31:09] our city. But, as

[31:10] Steve Smith would say,

[31:11] it's another good

[31:11] day in power. Thank you.

[31:13] That's right.

[31:14] Thank you, Mr. Mayor

[31:15] Ford. To Councilor Avery.

[31:16] Mr. President. I want

[31:18] to invite everyone

[31:19] to the

[31:21] Gadsden City High School celebration on Friday night,

[31:22] since they have their

[31:24] senior year reunion this week. Let's

[31:25] support our

[31:27] local Titans.

[31:28] This morning they

[31:29] visited the

[31:30] Head Start program. The little one is always excited

[31:32] about the

[31:33] band, the cheerleaders,

[31:34] and everyone who

[31:35] comes to our

[31:36] Head Start program. Regarding

[31:39] Head Start, those

[31:40] driving on

[31:41] Tuscaloosa Avenue are asked

[31:42] to be careful

[31:43] as a

[31:44] wall is being replaced there.

[31:45] were many

[31:46] questions about what was

[31:47] happening there. She was

[31:49] in dire need of

[31:50] a replacement. We

[31:53] worked hard to find the

[31:55] funds to repair this

[31:56] wall. This is what is being

[32:00] done now to

[32:00] keep our

[32:02] children and our community safe

[32:03] . This location

[32:06] is

[32:07] right next to a

[32:08] playground

[32:09] and a busy

[32:09] intersection. I want

[32:14] to mention one more event

[32:16] , continuing the topic of

[32:17] grants. Gadsden State Valley

[32:25] Street received a

[32:26] $200,000 grant from

[32:28] Home Depot's "ReTool

[32:29] Your School" program to improve the

[32:31] campus at Valley

[32:32] Street, our

[32:33] historically

[32:34] black college

[32:35] . I would like to express my

[32:41] gratitude to Mr. Ricky

[32:50] Tillis, the principal, as well

[32:52] as Alan Smith,

[32:53] our

[32:54] campus president, the president of

[32:55] Gadsden

[32:56] State College, Mr. Tony

[32:57] Smith, and the other

[32:58] representatives who

[32:59] participated. And yet, it's a kind of

[33:05] challenge. I don't

[33:07] think the city

[33:08] council has any commemorative

[33:09] coins, but, Mr. Mayor,

[33:10] if it's not too difficult, please

[33:11] present such a coin to

[33:12] representatives of Lowe's and

[33:13] other companies. Home

[33:15] Depot is not in our

[33:16] community, but we

[33:17] received a

[33:18] $200,000 grant from them.

[33:22] So we hope

[33:23] that later on, Lowe's,

[33:24] Marvin's, and other companies will

[33:25] also give us

[33:27] grants for

[33:28] community development and

[33:29] workforce training

[33:30] through Gadsden

[33:31] State. Collie Homes 6th

[33:37] Street Day, a celebration for the entire

[33:39] community. This usually

[33:42] happens

[33:43] the following Saturday. We will be

[33:47] rescheduling our event

[33:49] to align with a

[33:50] community

[33:52] health event we are

[33:53] hosting in the 3rd

[33:54] District in partnership

[33:55] with Dr. Ashley Goggins

[33:56] and the Carver

[33:57] Community Revitalization Committee

[33:58] . It's

[34:03] Collie Homes 6th Street Day, a

[34:04] community day of rest,

[34:06] which will now

[34:07] take place on October 10th

[34:09] at 4:00 p.m. Before

[34:12] this event begins, we

[34:13] will be holding an event that

[34:14] I started

[34:15] last year—an event

[34:17] dedicated to health

[34:18] and

[34:19] wellness.

[34:22] Last year we did yoga

[34:23] .

[34:25] Let me

[34:26] make sure everyone

[34:27] has heard about this event.

[34:28] Last year we did yoga

[34:29] . So

[34:31] , this year

[34:32] we will not only

[34:33] be doing yoga on the square,

[34:34] we

[34:35] will also be doing Zumba

[34:36] and training on

[34:37] park benches.

[34:39] Our

[34:40] yoga instructor will once again be

[34:41] Raven DeVisey. Our

[34:44] Zumba instructor will be Siandra

[34:45] James, and

[34:46] park bench workouts

[34:47] will be led by Jakoya

[34:48] Jackson. We also

[34:50] plan to invite

[34:51] insurance agents to

[34:52] talk

[34:54] about health

[34:54] insurance and

[34:55] life insurance. We

[34:57] are counting on the

[34:58] participation of

[34:59] sportswear retailers, as well as

[35:01] mental and

[35:02] physical health specialists.

[35:09] In addition to the three

[35:10] instructors mentioned, there will be

[35:12] other health vendors to

[35:14] complement the

[35:15] community event,

[35:16] in partnership

[35:17] with 6th Street Day, of course. Here we

[35:27] go. Date,

[35:28] okay. October 6th, I got the

[35:31] order a little wrong. October 6, another

[35:33] public

[35:34] event. This will be our

[35:36] first meeting for the 3rd

[35:37] District after

[35:38] re-election. However,

[35:43] our first district

[35:44] meeting will be held on

[35:46] October 6th at the

[35:48] Carver Community Center, 10:30 a.m. Tusculum

[35:49] Avenue, and our

[35:50] guest speaker

[35:51] will be Maria Marie

[35:52] Johnson, Executive

[35:53] Director of the

[35:55] Etowah County Food Bank. I

[36:02] get a lot of

[36:03] calls, which is very

[36:04] encouraging, from

[36:05] community

[36:06] organizations,

[36:07] especially churches, who

[36:08] are interested in the work of the

[36:09] food bank

[36:11] or how they

[36:12] can help

[36:13] people in need of

[36:14] food, clothing, and other

[36:15] things. So I decided

[36:20] to call Ms.

[36:22] Marie Johnson to

[36:23] see if

[36:24] she had any

[36:24] suggestions or ideas.

[36:27] Instead of

[36:28] being a mediator, we

[36:29] simply invited her

[36:31] to a public

[36:32] meeting so that anyone

[36:33] interested could come and

[36:34] get this

[36:35] information. I also

[36:40] met a lady

[36:41] last weekend in

[36:43] Anniston at a

[36:43] community

[36:45] gun buyback event

[36:46] attended by Beach Mitch

[36:47] Bentley, Deeder,

[36:48] Millionaire Kevin, and

[36:49] many other

[36:50] guys. It provides

[36:56] resources or, uh...What do you

[37:00] call it when

[37:01] you go to

[37:02] prison? You buy

[37:03] groceries at the prison

[37:04] store. She

[37:06] supplies

[37:08] stores in many

[37:09] prisons and has

[37:10] about six pallets of

[37:11] free goods

[37:17] that she would like to

[37:18] give to our

[37:19] community. So we

[37:22] plan to place

[37:23] these items at that

[37:24] event, and they

[37:25] can also go to

[37:26] organizations that

[37:28] do

[37:28] charity work, whether

[37:29] for your parishioners

[37:34] or for other

[37:36] community needs. I think that's

[37:41] all for my events

[37:43] . I'll end with this.

[37:46] Follow our

[37:47] Facebook page. We

[37:48] will note everything there and

[37:50] publish it. Thank you.

[37:52] Councilwoman

[37:54] Avery. Councilwoman

[37:55] Wilson.

[37:56] I have no

[37:57] announcements today, Mr. President

[37:58] Mack. Thank you.

[37:59] OK. Good. We

[38:00] are waiting for your first

[38:01] comments, okay?

[38:02] I already said something the

[38:03] first time.

[38:03] Oh, really. They said.

[38:05] Yes, okay. Second

[38:06] remarks.

[38:07] Happy Tuesday.

[38:09] Good. Madam Councilor Monatra

[38:10] .

[38:11] Thank you, Mr.

[38:12] President. I just

[38:15] want to remind you that a

[38:16] week from

[38:17] tomorrow there

[38:19] will be a

[38:20] health and resource fair

[38:21] for seniors at our town community center. It

[38:25] will last from 9:00 to 11:00

[38:28] am. So, it's a

[38:29] week from tomorrow.

[38:31] It's Wednesday, October 7th,

[38:33] for

[38:34] seniors, a

[38:35] health and resource fair

[38:37] from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Thank you.

[38:39] Madam Councilor.

[38:41] Mr. Councilor

[38:42] Robinson.

[38:43] I'm giving up my

[38:45] time until next

[38:46] Tuesday. Oh, you

[38:47] like it. I

[38:48] took that from Councilor

[38:49] Avery. I love

[38:50] giving up my

[38:51] time. I want to say

[38:53] that "First Fridays" is this

[38:54] Friday. So

[38:55] get ready for this, and

[38:55] we'll have a graduation parade on Broad

[38:57] Street. I think it

[38:58] will start at 1:00 PM.

[38:59] So Broad Street

[39:00] will likely be

[39:01] closed from 12:00 noon until

[39:02] the end. So let everyone

[39:03] be careful.

[39:04] I hope the rain

[39:05] stops, the Titans

[39:06] win their game,

[39:07] and First Friday

[39:08] goes smoothly. And

[39:11] as my good

[39:12] friend, Councilman Wilson, used to say:

[39:13] good morning to everyone

[39:15] except the Philadelphia

[39:16] Phillies. Because he and I are

[39:19] fans of the

[39:20] Atlanta Braves.

[39:21] Today is the playoffs.

[39:22] They are in the first round of the

[39:23] playoffs. So today

[39:25] at 2:00 p.m. They play all three games

[39:26] there, as if over a

[39:27] beer and lunch in

[39:27] Atlanta. This is simply

[39:28] absurd. I don't know

[39:29] why they

[39:30] do this. But

[39:31] anyway, good

[39:32] morning to everyone except the

[39:32] Philadelphia Phillies. Go

[39:33] ahead, Braves.

[39:34] Thank you all. Go

[39:35] ahead, Braves.

[39:36] That's right. We must

[39:37] support our

[39:38] Braves. Okay,

[39:39] friends. It was a fruitful

[39:40] day for our

[39:41] administration.

[39:42] Congratulations to Lamont

[39:43] Kyle. Congratulations again. I

[39:45] look forward

[39:46] to working together. And

[39:47] Mr. Mayor Ford,

[39:48] thank you for all the grants

[39:49] and assistance we

[39:50] receive. It's just

[39:52] incredible how much

[39:53] state and

[39:54] federal funds

[39:55] have come to Gadsden

[39:56] in the last three and

[39:57] a half years. This

[39:59] really

[40:00] changes the situation dramatically. This

[40:02] replenishes our budget and

[40:04] allows us to do things

[40:05] we wanted to do but

[40:06] couldn't afford

[40:07] due to lack of funds.

[40:09] So kudos to the team that

[40:10] organizes all of this.

[40:12] is simply outstanding

[40:13] work. Let's support

[40:14] our Titans.

[40:15] We have one

[40:16] high school in Gadsden.

[40:17] Friday night is the Gadsden City

[40:18] football team's

[40:20] homecoming game.

[40:22] There will be a grand

[40:24] parade on Friday at 1:00 p.m. We want

[40:25] to support our

[40:26] students, our band,

[40:27] cheerleaders,

[40:29] ROTC cadets, all the students

[40:30] who will be marching

[40:31] and participating in this

[40:33] . We pray that the

[40:35] rain will pass us by and everything will

[40:36] go smoothly

[40:37] . I hope

[40:39] everyone has a great day,

[40:40] see you back here

[40:41] next Tuesday.

[40:43] May God protect you.

Gadsden City Council meeting 2026-09-29

Transcript