Other Issues - City & County Planning

LWVAL Action Priority Level III - Issues identified by LWVAL Advocacy Committee and/or State Board or Local Leagues.

Click a bill to see sponsor(s), summary (including link to full text), League action and justification for that action, and progress of the bill through the legislative process.

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LWVAL has taken a position on these bills:
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LWVAL is monitoring this bill.

HB28 - Municipalities, mayors, vacancies, procedures for filling in municipalities with population of 12,000 or more inhabitants, Sec. 11-44G-2, Code of Alabama 1975, not to apply, Sec. 11-44G-2 am'd.

Sponsor(s): Representative J. Williams

Summary/Synopsis: Provides for filling a vacant position of mayor in cities with a population of 12,000 or more according to the latest federal census. The Council President would succeed to the post, as is the case with larger cities with a mayor-council form of government. This bill rectifies a “contradiction” that has resulted from the continued use of a classification system for cities that is still based on populations from the 1970 census. At that time cities categorized as 7 or 8 cities had a system for filling a vacant mayor position that was exceedingly complex, providing alternatives that concluded with appointment by the governor if various other alternatives plans failed because of inactivity by city councils and others. Many cities, as they have grown, have been forced to abide by provisions in the code that were suitable only for much smaller cities.

League Action and Justification: LWVAL is monitoring HB28.
An important departure from the present code and its population figures, this bill not only provides a reasonable process for filling the position of mayor and brings relief to those cities with 12,000 or more inhabitants. And, it marks a significant break with a code based on outdated population figures, a code that has been needing correction for many years..

Bill Progress in Legislature:
5/18/2012: Read for the first time and referred to the


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