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The Gadsden City Council on Tuesday agreed to be represented by Ford, Howard and Cornett, P.C., in legal action regarding the proposed Pilgrim s Pride rendering plant in Etowah County. The resolution was approved by a 4-2 margin with council members Kent Back, Ben Reed, Cynthia Toles and Deverick Williams voting yes, and Jason Wilson and Thomas Worthy voting no. Council member Johnny Cannon was not present. “It’s hard for me . I don’t really support this project in its current state, “ Wilson said of the rendering plant following his vote, “so it just wasn’t feasible for me to support using city funds to help continue into this fight.” ....
COVID numbers decrease in county; Gadsden Public Works hiring summer employees The Gadsden City Council on Tuesday heard an update a positive one from the Gadsden-Etowah County Emergency Management Agency on the COVID-19 numbers in the county. The update was given by Emergency Management Specialist Josh Tanner, who said the numbers in the county have decreased and the daily averages for the virus continue to drop. “We feel like, as well as our partners in the Alabama Department of Public Health, this is directly attributable to folks finally doing the right things,” Tanner said. In January, Etowah County s positive test rate for COVID-19 reached 39.8%. Tanner on Tuesday said it has gone down to 11.3%, a 28-point improvement. ....
The Gadsden City Council on Tuesday again heard positive comments about a proposed Pilgrim’s Pride rendering plant in Gadsden but council member Jason Wilson reiterated his opposition to the plant in his closing remarks after hearing from those speakers. “I don’t really understand what’s going on,” Wilson said as the virtual meeting concluded. “We keep getting these people coming and speaking to this body, yet supposedly we’re supposed to be left out of the loop because of confidentiality?” While Wilson thanked each speaker all from out of state for their time, he said he was confused as to why they were addressing the council when members “may not even get the chance to vote on this.” ....
Koch Foods announces $16M expansion, 135 new jobs in Alabama January 21, 2021 GMT GADSDEN, Ala. (AP) One of the largest poultry processors in the U.S. is investing nearly $16 million to expand a processing plant in Alabama, an investment officials say will bring 135 jobs over the next three years. The funds will go towards the production line of the Koch Foods processing plant in Gadsden, making the company Etowah County’s second-largest employer, the city said Wednesday in a news release. The company currently has roughly 1,000 employees at the plant. The Gadsden City Council on Tuesday approved a 10-year tax break for the company of all state and local non-educational property taxes and all non-educational construction-related transaction taxes, the release said. But officials believe the expansion will increase funding for schools and bring in more taxes for the city. ....
Gadsden/Etowah County Emergency Management Agency Director Deborah Gaither said Thursday s COVID-19 vaccination effort went fair, allowing room for improvement in the process. The agency worked with the Etowah County Health Department in a drive-thru vaccination effort for first responders, health care providers and people 75 or older that administered vaccine to between 450 and 500 people, Gaither told members of the Gadsden City Council on Tuesday. She said it s important to remember this is the first time anyone involved has participated in a vaccination effort of this scope. There were long lines that snarled traffic in East Gadsden around The Venue at Coosa Landing, and some people waited in lines for hours with some leaving cars to go for a bathroom break at nearby businesses, or leaving the line entirely if they couldn t leave their car only to be turned away when the supply of vaccine ran out. ....