Story By Donald Campbell

The Fort Payne City Council took action on the fowl ordinance it approved in recent months, agreeing to a handful of amendments to the original version of the city law.

Code Enforcement Officer Nick Brown explained to the council that there were simply a few corrections that needed to be made, including modifying the abatement process so it would conform more to what was already in place. The amendments also removed the process to require residents wanting to keep fowl to have a permit to do so, and added a clause that would not allow such animals to be kept in mobile home communities or in apartment complexes. Councilman John Smith had a question for Brown, wanting to confirm that the amended version moved away from violators having their fowl impounded by the city, instead being assessed with citations for such violations. Brown replied that this was indeed the case. None of the other council members had any further questions about the amendments, and a motion to approve the amended version of the ordinance passed without any opposition.

The Fort Payne City Council also:

•Approved minutes from its December 16th meeting.

•Selected Richard Camp to serve as the council’s representative on the Fort Payne Planning Commission.

•Heard from Mayor Brian Baine, who said that work at Marshalls and Five Below was ahead of schedule, with the possibility they might be able to open in the spring months. Baine also presented a proclamation, declaring January to be Sanctity of Human Life Month in Fort Payne, presenting a copy of the proclamation to representatives from the Women’s Care Center.

•Entered into a work session following the main council meeting to interview the five finalists for the open positions on the Fort Payne Improvement Authority board. At a prior meeting, it was explained that the council would vote on which finalists would be named to the openings at their January 20th meeting.

The next meeting of the Fort Payne City Council will be Tuesday, January 20th, at 5:30 P.M.