Gadsden City mayor announces March amnesty day for municipal court fines

Mayor Craig Ford announced a municipal amnesty day in March that will let people with outstanding municipal-court fines pay 50% of the fine and avoid jail time or service time.

The amnesty is intended to give residents a chance to clear municipal records and avoid enforcement: “we're taking 50% off of your fine and no no jail time, no service time or anything,” Mayor Craig Ford said. Ford said the municipal judge will be present on the amnesty day to work with people on payments and arrangements.

The mayor framed the amnesty as a limited opportunity tied to increased enforcement. He said the city has been conducting “roundups every 30 days” to locate people who did not appear in court or pay fines. “If you get a ticket or you owe a fine, I was emphatic that, okay, you're gonna have to pay it, or go to court or work it out with the court,” Ford said, adding that those who skip amnesty will be subject to future roundups.

Ford described the amnesty as a way to remove certain municipal penalties from participants' records if they pay and work with the judge. He encouraged residents with outstanding fines to take part but did not specify a calendar date in his remarks. Details about which municipal offenses qualify, how the 50% reduction is calculated, or any deadlines were not specified in the mayor’s comments.

The announcement came during the mayor’s regular “mayor’s minute,” a segment of the meeting used for brief public updates. No formal council action or vote on the amnesty was recorded during the remarks; Ford presented it as an administrative program coordinated with municipal-court staff.

City officials have said previously that enforcement operations and court schedules vary; residents seeking specifics about eligibility, exact amnesty dates, or payment plans were directed to the municipal court (details not specified in the meeting transcript).