SB175 Alabama 2019 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

J.T. WaggonerSenator

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

SB 175 clarifies how Alabama municipalities can switch from a mayor-council government to a council-manager government, requires a petition and election, and allows five or seven-member councils with ballot wording to reflect the new makeup.

What This Bill Does

Requires a petition and election to change a municipality's form of government from mayor-council to council-manager. Allows the council-manager form to have five or seven members, with the mayor elected at large and voting, and the remaining members either elected at large or from districts as determined by the municipality’s resolution; if the municipality already uses single-member districts, it would continue with four or six district-based seats plus a mayor at large. The ballot must show the proposed mayor/council composition if the change is approved, and, once adopted, the municipality follows the council-manager provisions of the code, subject to any conflicts about the number and election of council members. For Class 6 cities, it preserves an alternate nine-member council option with its own timing rules and district structure outlined in the amended sections.

Who It Affects

• Municipal voters and officials in cities and towns considering switching from the mayor-council form to the council-manager form, who would decide the change via petition, election, and ballot wording and then operate under the new structure.
• Class 6 cities (those permitting a nine-member council under the alternate form) and their voters, who would follow the nine-member option with its district structure and timing rules if they choose that path.

Key Provisions

• Amends Section 11-43A-1.1 to allow adoption of the council-manager form with a council of five or seven members, including a voting mayor and four or six other members elected at large or from districts as determined by resolution.
• If a municipality uses single-member districts, the council would continue with four or six members elected from districts and a mayor elected at large; the ballot must indicate the mayor/council composition if the council-manager form is adopted.
• If the change is approved, the municipality will be governed by the council-manager provisions of the article, with exceptions only for conflicts related to number and election of council members as provided in the section and subject to the council's resolution.
• Section 11-43A-7 and 11-43A-8 establish timing for when the change takes place and, in Class 6 cities, allow the nine-member alternate form with two members from each of four dual-member districts; the nine-member configuration includes an at-large mayor.

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