AL HB384

Amends Section 11-43-2 of the Alabama Code to allow cities and towns with populations between 12,000 and 25,000 inhabitants to continue operating under the governance structure of cities with fewer than 12,000 inhabitants.

Cities and towns that grow from below 12,000 to between 12,000-25,000 inhabitants according to federal census have 30 days after census release to decide whether to maintain the smaller-city governance model.

A city council may elect by majority vote to continue the mayor-and-five-aldermen structure (where the mayor presides and can vote) instead of the larger-city structure (where the mayor cannot sit with council or vote) by ordinance adopted at least six months before the next general municipal election.

This optional structure remains available until the city's population reaches 25,000 or more according to the next federal decennial census.

The six-month ordinance requirement may be waived if necessary to comply with U.S. Justice Department mandates under the Voting Rights Act of 1965 or court orders.