The Gadsden City Council received two ordinances on first reading Nov. 25 that change how the city organizes alarm-related rules and propose penalties for repeated false fire alarms.

President Beck summarized the first ordinance as moving references to fire alarms from city code chapter 42 (emergency services article 2: alarm systems) into chapter 50 so that fire-alarm regulation is consolidated under fire prevention. The existing code sections related to burglary alarm systems would remain in chapter 42.

A companion ordinance would add article 4 to chapter 50, establishing a fire-alarm ordinance intended to reduce false alarms. Under the language presented, after five false alarms within a calendar year penalties would begin at $100 for the first offense and increase for subsequent offenses up to $500. Both ordinances were presented for first reading; the council will vote on final adoption next week.

Council characterized the change as intended to reduce false fire alarms and encourage proper maintenance of alarm systems; no final vote or amendments were made during the Nov. 25 meeting.