The Gadsden City Council on Oct. 21 adopted a package of resolutions and agreements that includes a $3,493,600 preliminary engineering and construction agreement with the Alabama Department of Transportation for a Hickory Street bridge replacement and a city share of $2,001,600; a transition bonus for dispatch staff leaving Gadsden 911 to join the Etowah County Communications District 911; acceptance of a $3,000 traffic-control grant from the East Central Alabama Highway Safety Office; approval of an alcoholic beverage license for Half Throttle LLC (doing business as The Shack Bar and Grill) at 3639 South Eleventh Street in District 6; and renewal of the city's agreement with the REPT citizen-engagement platform, including a new AI chat feature, at $12,000 per year.

Why it matters: the bridge agreement targets a long-running infrastructure need in South Gadsden; the dispatch transition affects the city's 911 operations and staffing; the grant provides a small traffic-control allocation; the liquor license authorizes a new restaurant in District 6; and the REPT renewal authorizes continued use of an online tool with an AI-assisted chat function intended to route citizen questions to city staff.

Most significant action: bridge agreement
Councilman Wilson described the Hickory Street bridge replacement as "very important to the residents of South Gadsden," thanking the engineering department and the mayor for work with state and federal partners to secure funding. The council adopted a resolution authorizing a preliminary engineering and construction agreement with the Alabama Department of Transportation for a total project amount of $3,493,600; the city's share was stated as $2,001,600. The council approved the resolution by voice vote.

911 transition bonus
The council approved a resolution authorizing a transition bonus to dispatch employees who maintain at least 90% attendance during the transfer of Gadsden 911 operations to the Etowah County Communications District 911. The resolution set the total bonus amount at not to exceed $5,000. A council speaker described the payment as compensation for dispatchers "as they navigate through that process of transferring from Gadsden dispatch over to 9-1-1, Etowah County 9-1-1 dispatch employees, formally." The resolution passed on a voice vote.

Grant acceptance and liquor license
The council accepted $3,000 from the East Central Alabama Highway Safety Office to be used for traffic control and adopted the resolution by voice vote. During a public hearing the council also approved a restaurant liquor license for Half Throttle LLC doing business as The Shack Bar and Grill at 3639 South Eleventh Street in District 6; no speakers registered opposition at the hearing and the council adopted the resolution by voice vote.

REPT renewal (citizen portal and AI chat)
The council considered and approved a resolution renewing the city's agreement with REPT, a platform on the city website that allows citizens to submit questions that city staff answer. As presented to the council, the vendor added an AI chat component that scans city ordinances and materials on the website to suggest relevant code sections and can escalate unanswered queries to a city employee. The renewal was discussed under new business after the council suspended the rules to consider the item; the cost discussed in the meeting was $12,000 per year. The council adopted the resolution by voice vote.

Other routine actions
The council approved minutes for the Oct. 14 work session and council meeting, and ratified payment of accounts for the week of Oct. 10 through Oct. 16; both measures passed by voice vote.

What the council did not do
No roll-call tallies naming individual "yes" or "no" votes were recorded in the public voice votes for the items listed above. The minutes and resolutions were adopted by voice vote with the chair asking "Those in favor..." and noting motion carries or motion carries to adopt.

The council recessed to conduct a work session and later reconvened; the meeting adjourned at the close of regular business.