City to keep public nuisance issues in-house

Changes are coming as the city is cracking down on public nuisance issues. But those changes should benefit both the city and residents facing these issues, according to Alexander City City Council president Bobby Tapley.

On Monday at its regular meeting, the council unanimously approved an amendment to the city ordinance involving vegetation issues. According to city code, the city has the authority to abate what is considered a public nuisance. Those could include junk, debris, rubbish, weeds, underbrush or overgrowth. In the past, any of these public nuisances were handled by outside resources, meaning the city would have to bid out the projects to outside contractors.