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Mayor Ford highlights drug task force arrests, landfill fire response and waterworks progress
Summary
In remarks at the May 19 council meeting Mayor Ford credited the city's drug task force with recent arrests tied to fentanyl and cocaine, described a quick response to a landfill fire, and previewed waterworks and economic development activity including a forthcoming reverse-osmosis plant and job announcements.
Mayor Ford used his remarks at the May 19 meeting to update the council and public on recent public-safety responses and city infrastructure projects.
On enforcement, the mayor said the city’s drug task force and police made three arrests in 24 hours related to drugs moving into the city, stating, "A lot of this was fentanyl which is dangerous and will kill people and some of it was cocaine." He credited task‑force members and county partners for the arrests.
On an emergency response, the mayor reported someone set fire to the city landfill over the previous weekend. He said city crews extinguished and monitored the blaze quickly and credited a private‑sector employee and the city fire department for rapid notification and response; no wider damage was reported.
Mayor Ford and councilmembers also discussed infrastructure and economic development. The mayor referenced an incoming employer expected to add jobs and noted progress on clearing right‑of‑way along major corridors. Separately, the council discussed a reverse‑osmosis water treatment facility underway (described as one of the few in the state) being developed by the Gadsden Waterworks and Sewer Board.
Several councilmembers used the remarks to urge residents to vote, to be mindful of Memorial Day observances (the city’s ceremony is at Nalula Falls Park at 10:00 a.m. on Memorial Day) and to slow down in neighborhoods as summer begins.
What happens next: City public safety and utilities departments will follow up on enforcement and infrastructure updates; council members encouraged residents to use the city's reporting app for quality‑of‑life concerns.
