Shoppers in Gardendale will continue to pay a 10-percent sales tax, at least for the next four years.

On Monday, the Gardendale City Council extended a sales tax increase that was first put into effect in January 2011.

Merchants in Gardendale pay the state of Alabama 4 percent, Jefferson County 2 percent, and the city of Gardendale 4 percent of their gross sales.

The 1-percent increase will be earmarked for three purposes:

• debt service retirement

• community and economic development, including the recruitment of new businesses, constructing public municipal infrastructure, the funding of capital purchases and projects, the granting of incentives as allowed by law, the acquisition of property, the support of public education and “such other related uses as may be approved by the City Council from time to time”

• for the city’s reserve account or for unbudgeted financial obligations of the city

The ordinance adopted Monday allows the additional penny tax to be used in much broader ways than did 2011 ordinance that called for an increase.

The original ordinance was earmarked for three specific projects: to expand the Gardendale-Martha Moore Public Library; to pay off the city’s long-term debt; and for economic development.

The ordinance adopted this week expires Dec. 31, 2018, but Council President Stan Hogeland said the ordinance will likely be extended again.

“We could have written the

ordinance to where the tax never expires, but I think that whoever is in office in 2018 needs to take a close look at it and make a conscious decision,” he said. “They need to think about what they’re doing.”

In other business, the council:

• increased the general fund budget for the completion of subdivision regulation modifications by KPS and to provide funding from the 1-cent sales tax fund

• heard the first reading of an ordinance to annex 363 Glenn Chapel Road and 369 Glenn Chapel Road. A public hearing will be held Dec. 1 during the city council meeting at 7 p.m.

• heard the first reading of an ordinance to further regulate planned unit developments. A public hearing will be held Jan. 5 during the city council meeting at 7 p.m.

• heard the first reading of an ordinance to rezone 1591 Quail Ridge Road from a single-family residential district (R-1) to a single family residential district estate (E-1). The public hearing is Jan. 5 during the city council meeting at 7 p.m.

• authorized traffic signals and street lights at Fieldstown Road and the Interstate 65 ramps

• hired Taylor Dailey as a school crossing guard

• promoted Tim Black to shop helper in the Public Works Department.