The Gadsden City Council on Sept. 23 approved a slate of resolutions and ordinances covering construction projects, sidewalk grants, personnel policy updates and a local vape tax.

Council members unanimously adopted a resolution awarding Bid No. 3609 for downtown intersection renovations and pedestrian-access improvements to Bob Smith Construction Inc. for $869,735.50. Councilman Wilson described that project as one long discussed with downtown business owners and said the work will reconfigure intersections and sidewalks to make the area more pedestrian-friendly. “This will hopefully, if we change the way that the traffic flows through this area, more people will choose to utilize [downtown] instead of rip‑roaring down Broad Street,” Councilman Wilson said.

Other adopted measures included: authorization for the mayor to apply for airport improvement grant funds as co‑sponsor for the Northeast Alabama Regional Airport; acceptance of a federal Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) grant and local match for Chestnut Street sidewalk and streetscape improvements (total project cost $1,208,257; federal share $800,000; local match $408,257); and an ordinance giving Unity Fiber Gulfco LLC a nonexclusive franchise to construct and maintain fiber‑optic lines in city rights of way. The TAP resolution passed after the mayor thanked the engineering department and federal partners for the funding opportunity.

The council also approved several internal and administrative items: amendments to the city’s human resources policy and procedures (second amendment to R482.24), an ordinance updating employee pay scales and classifications, and an ordinance adopting a local tax collection on vaping products under City Code section 74 so the city can collect the state‑authorized vaping tax directly instead of relying on statewide disbursement.

Additional operational approvals included: a resolution donating 0.751 acres of city‑owned property (Tract No. 5) to support the South Eleventh Street partial alignment and resurfacing project; purchase of required mitigation credits from Westervelt Ecological Services LLC for $32,450 (to satisfy Army Corps of Engineers requirements); approval of a non‑reimbursable agreement with Spire Alabama for utility relocations tied to that same project; acceptance of conveyance from Edge Family Properties Inc. related to a Twin Bridges Golf Course boundary correction; and a contract authorization with David R. Davis Architects Inc. to design a new pavilion and restroom at the Falls campground.

All motions recorded in the meeting were announced as carried with no recorded opposition during roll calls. Where an item was presented for first reading only — including an ordinance to rezone property at 756 Walnut Street from O‑1 office district to R‑2 multifamily (first reading, Planning Commission had recommended approval) — council members noted a vote will occur at the subsequent meeting.

The council recessed for a work session and later reconvened; routine approvals such as minutes and weekly account ratifications also carried without recorded opposition.

Short procedural motions (recess/reconvene, consideration under new business) were passed by voice vote. The council president and the city clerk presided over votes and roll calls during the meeting.