HB286 Alabama 2019 Session

Updated Feb 24, 2026

Notable

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 286 updates Alabama law to govern how municipalities switch from mayor-council to council-manager government, including council size, ballot options, and timing.
What This Bill Does
It allows Class 4-8 municipalities to adopt a council-manager form by council resolution, choosing a five-member or seven-member council with the mayor elected at large; the remaining four or six council members can be elected either at large or from districts, and if districts exist the change keeps four or six district-based seats with the mayor at large. The ballot must show the proposed mayor and council composition, and adoption would place the municipality under the council-manager form subject to the article's rules about number and election of council members. The change is scheduled to take effect on the first Monday in October or November after the next municipal election for council members, with Class 6 cities electing a nine-member council under an alternate form and special date rules; the act becomes law immediately upon governor's approval.

Who It Affects
Municipalities in Class 4-8 that currently have a mayor-council form of government and choose to switch to a council-manager form, including decisions about how many members their council will have and whether members are elected at large or from districts.
Voters in those municipalities, who will see on the ballot the proposed composition of the new council and mayor if the change is approved, and will participate in the election that triggers the change.

Key Provisions
Amends 11-43A-1.1 to allow a municipality to adopt the council-manager form with a five- or seven-member council, with the mayor elected at large and the other four or six members either at large or from districts; if districts exist, the council will continue with four or six district-based seats and the mayor at large; the ballot must indicate the proposed composition.
If the municipality uses single-member districts, the council-manager form adoption preserves four or six district-elected members plus the mayor at large; the act clarifies how conflicts over number and method of election are resolved.
Amends 11-43A-7 to set when the change takes place: on the first Monday in October or November after the next municipal election for governing-body members, with Class 6 cities that elect a nine-member council following an alternate form using the rules in 11-43A-8, and special timing if the 1983 election was the change.
Amends 11-43A-8 to outline the standard five-member council (mayor at large, one at-large member, and three district members) and, for Class 6 cities, an alternate nine-member form with a mayor at large and eight members from four dual-member districts, including when that alternate form takes effect.

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