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Madison City residents choose a new form of government

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A new government form is possibly in the works for Madison City. An upcoming election will decide the city’s transition from a Mayor-Council format to a Council-Manager format. This decision would make the mayor president of the Madison City Council. This also includes hiring a city manager to oversee daily operations. Samantha Magnuson works with Madison City. She says this decision was considered after the last Census.

“This was looked into after the 2020 Census and our numbers came back. A committee was formed to do some research into a council-manager form of government because we knew that other cities that are larger and even other cities in the state of Alabama operate on this form of government,” Magnuson.

Magnuson says the new government function would change the mayor’s current role as the CEO.

“So, in a Council-Manager form of government the mayor serves as the president of the city council. They have a vote and they set the council agenda. The mayor acts as kind of the face of the city, where as in our current function of government, the Mayor-Council, the mayor serves as a CEO.”

If the action is passed, the city would also redistrict from its seven districts to six.

Magnuson says Madison is hopeful its residents will make the decision they want for the city’s future.

Aniya Kinnion is a student intern in the Alabama Public Radio newsroom. She majors in News Media at The University of Alabama. She appreciates all forms of media and hopes to develop a career in reporting. In her spare time, she enjoys serving at her church, shopping, and advocating for IBD awareness.

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