Gadsden City Council on Dec. 2 moved through routine business and several formal votes, adopting code changes, approving a liquor license and accepting donations.

The council approved minutes from the Nov. 25 work session and ratified the week’s accounts by voice votes. During a public hearing the council adopted a resolution to grant a restaurant retail liquor license and a tobacco-only license to M3 Bar and Grill LLC at 710 East Broad Street (District 2); no members of the public rose to speak for or against the application.

Two ordinances that had been presented at first reading were adopted. Ordinance 11a relocates references to fire alarms from Chapter 42 to Chapter 50 while leaving burglary alarm rules in Chapter 42. Ordinance 11b adds a fire alarm article intended to reduce or eliminate false alarms: the measure, as described at the meeting, imposes a $100 penalty after five false alarms in a calendar year with escalating fines up to $500 for subsequent offenses.

The council also adopted a resolution authorizing conveyance of surplus equipment to the City of Florence. A council member announced an abstention from that vote due to a prior business relationship; the resolution passed with the abstention noted in the meeting.

Under new business the council accepted a donation of approximately 500–700 Hot Wheels toy cars from Katie McKenzie and Philip Williams for police officers to give to children in traffic-stop encounters, and accepted two $4,000 donations—one from Etowah Cares and one from Friends of the Falls—to purchase hybrid/off-road bicycles for police patrols on area trails. All three donation resolutions were considered under new-business procedures and approved by voice vote.

Several small property conveyances and a sidewalk-parking prohibition were read for first reading and scheduled for a vote next week.

The meeting record shows most actions were voice votes; individual tallies were not recorded in the transcript.