Gadsden stiffens penalties for littering, fine for first offense now $500

The message from the City of Gadsden couldn't be any clearer: Litterbugs, beware.

The City Council on Tuesday amended Gadsden’s municipal code to increase the penalties for littering to a $500 fine and eight hours of community service collecting litter for a first offense; $1,000 and 16 hours of litter collecting for a second offense; and for a third offense within 12 months of the previous violation, a $1,000 fine and a minimum 3-day jail term.

That doubles the previous fine for first and second offenses.

The ordinance was brought up in the pre-council meeting and approved during the regular meeting after a vote to suspend the rules and consider it as new business.

It followed a video posted by Mayor Craig Ford to Facebook on Monday showing him at a site in South Gadsden, where roughly a dozen city employees he said had been taken off their regular jobs were cleaning up a litter dump.

Ford vowed that “this is going to stop,” and signaled the increased penalties were on the way.

“We’re defining our narrative and we’re not going to have a littered-up Gadsden, Alabama,” he said. “... If you litter, you’re going to pay. We’re going to increase that fine, and it’s going to hurt.”

He noted that people could take their trash to the city dump for free, adding, “No more littering, I’m telling you. Because I promise you, we’re coming after you.”

The amended penalties also stipulate that if someone’s name is found on bank statements, credit card bills, utility bills and other financial documents collected as litter, authorities can make a rebuttable presumption (i.e., considered true until proved otherwise) that the person “knowingly disposed of the litter.”

Council member Jason Wilson said, “We’ve seen a rash of dumping issues throughout this city, in just about every single district and specifically in some of the downtown districts. ... This is part of an overall effort by the City Council and the mayor’s office to address this.

“We’ve had issues not only with local residents taking liberties with where they dump their trash,” he said, “but also individuals from outside the City of Gadsden who have brought trash into the city to dump it. This is just our attempt to crack down on that, and I think you’ll see more efforts in that direction over the next several weeks.”

Council President Kent Back said the city is “getting serious about litter,” adding, “It’s just a mindset. People are used to just throwing stuff on the ground, they’re used to dumping stuff on the side of the road, then ‘It’s not my problem anymore.’ Well, Mayor Ford says it’s your problem, and these fines are going to tell you it’s your problem.

“Notice is being served: Do not litter in Gadsden, because we will catch you and you will receive fines.”

This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Gadsden cracks down on littering