HB279 Alabama 2019 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

David FaulknerRepresentative

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2019

Title

Municipalities, council-manager form of government, procedures and timing further provided for, petition and election required, ballot, Secs. 11-43A-1.1, 11-43A-7, 11-43A-8 am'd.

Summary

HB 279 would require a petition and election to switch a municipality from mayor-council to council-manager and let voters choose whether the new council has five or seven members, with rules on how those members are chosen and when the change takes effect.

What This Bill Does

It clarifies that adopting the council-manager form requires a sufficiency-approved petition and an election, and the ballot must show whether the council will be five or seven members. The council could have a mayor at large plus four or six other members who may be elected at large or from single-member districts; if districts are used, the plan preserves a mayor at large and four or six district-based members. The change would take effect after the next municipal election on the first Monday in October/November, with a special provision for Class 6 cities to adopt a nine-member alternate form. If approved, the municipality would be governed by the council-manager provisions of the act, with conflicts resolved in favor of those provisions.

Who It Affects

• Residents of municipalities currently operating under a mayor-council form (Class 4-8) who would vote on switching to the council-manager form and on the council’s size (five or seven).
• Municipal officials and governing bodies who would administer the petition and election process and implement the new form (including the judge of probate).
• Class 6 cities that may opt for the nine-member council alternate form and its associated timing.

Key Provisions

• Requires petition sufficiency and a ballot question to adopt the council-manager form, with the ballot naming whether the council will have five or seven members.
• Defines composition: one mayor elected at large plus four or six council members who can be elected either at large or from single-member districts.
• If the council uses single-member districts, the governing plan continues with four or six district-based members and the mayor at large.
• The change takes place on the first Monday in October/November after the next municipal election, with a special provision for Class 6 cities to implement the nine-member alternate form in even-numbered years as specified.
• In Class 6 cities, the nine-member form would have one mayor at large and eight council members from four dual-member districts.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 24, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Municipalities