GULF SHORES, Ala. — A new tack on response to oil washing up on Alabama’s beaches from the 2010 BP spill will place a new responsibility on citizens.

Mayor Pro Tem Carolyn Doughty, filling in for absent Mayor Robert Craft at Monday’s work session and council meeting said the change means response to washed up oil will come from telephoned complaints.

“The city of Gulf Shores is encouraging all residents, tourists, visitors, friends and neighbors to assist the city in reporting oil or tarballs found on our beaches,” Doughty said, reading from a press release. “Recent changes in the cleanup process have put more responsibility on the city to monitor our beaches for oil and tarballs.

“We are asking everyone who finds oil or tarballs to please call the National Response Center at 1-800-424-8802.”

That call will kick off the response to the Coast Guard who will then summon cleanup crews, according to the release.

“By calling the NRC it is mandated that the U.S. Coast Guard respond and make a visual inspection, then cleanup crews are instructed to the area to remove the oil,” Doughty continued reading from the release. “The city has been able to say our beaches are clean due to BP and the U.S. Coast Guard cleaning our beaches daily. With the city working diligently with the state and with your help reporting oil and tarballs on the beach, we will still be able to tell the world our beaches are clean.”

Doughty said the calls by citizens will keep officials feet to the fire and on the job keeping the oil picked up.

“This is critical for our future,” she said. “We know there’s tarballs coming in everyday; we’ve got oil coming in every day. We need the individuals calling this number to report it rather than everyone calling Brandan (Franklin) and him making one call.”

Doughty encouraged residents to call. And call again.

“And they need to know that they are there even after they say they’ve gone through and cleaned it up, if you still see them, call again,” she said. “Apparently they will leave our area when the amount they cleanup is a certain minimum.”

The cleanup should continue, Doughty said, because there was no oil washing up before the 2010 spill for at least 10 years.

“We did not have tarballs before this,” she said. “I know personally we had them back in the 90s. But after we did some work and did our first original beach renourishment in 2000 they were not out there until the oil spill.

“And we don’t want them out there when this is all over with. This is important we do that because people have the tendency to want to make it be a health hazard in addition to everything else that’s going on.”

In other business, the Finance Department received another honor for its work. It received a certificate of achievement in excellence in financial reporting for the comprehensive annual financial report.

According to a letter from the Government Finance Officers Association, “the certificate of achievement is the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting and its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management.”

Also the council OK’d the assembly permit for the Mardi Gras parade on Feb. 12 and approved a liquor license for the Cactus Cantina and Mexican Grill in the old Joey’s North Shore Grill location. The council also OK’d a table wine permit for Tropical Fruit Winery and Gifts located in the Pinnacle Shopping Center.

The council also voted to place a 120-day moratorium on issuing business licenses or relocation of tattoo parlors and body piercing businesses in the city.