ROBERTSDALE, Ala. — July 4 fireworks, updating the city’s code of ordinances and the city’s new water tank took up most of the Robertsdale City Council’s time at the brief June 16 meeting. Council member Brent Kendrick was absent from the 8 a.m. meeting. The next meeting will be July 7 at 8 p.m.

“The changes were mostly grammatical, and designed to coincide with state law,” said Mayor Charles Murphy, adding that it had been several years since the code had been updated.

“This needed to be done,” said City Attorney Ken Raines. Work will commence on the next block of ordinances at once.

“It looks good,” said Murphy. “You all did a good job.”

Chief Financial Officer Ann Simpson and Raines were praised for the work on the changes in Chapters 1-3 of the code. There are 18 chapters in the city code, and the proposed changes passed unanimously.

One of the major changes to the code of ordinances was to section 3-3, codifying that it is indeed unlawful for anyone under the age of 21 to purchase or attempt to purchase “ any alcoholic or intoxicating beverage.”

The amended ordinances also prohibit topless or bottomless “waitresses, dancers, or performers” and forbids “wet T-Shirt contests, wrestling, or mud wrestling, or fist fights or any display of the martial arts” in an establishment that serves alcohol.

The city will sponsor a fireworks display the evening of July 4 at Garrett Park.

According to Murphy, the fireworks will begin at dusk, and people should find parking around the park. Members of the Robertsdale Police Department will be on hand to provide direction. The event is free and open to the public.

“We’ve been having it so long, I’ve lost track,” said council member Sue Cooper.

“I believe we’ve been having fireworks for about 25 years,” said council member Joe Kitchens, adding that “the telephone company” first sponsored the display.

“It’s something people look forward to every year,” said Cooper.

Public Works Director Scott Gilbert fielded some questions about the new water tank that is going up off of County Road 59 in the north end of town.

“It will have about a million gallons,” said Gilbert after the meeting. He added that while much of the construction is complete, the public works department has to install control equipment. He told the council that the tank should be operational “by the end of July,” and that filtering media was now being placed in the tank.

“This will help with water pressure in the north end of town,” said Gilbert.

The council also approved payment of more than $536,000 in bills.