Composition; election of members; terms; meetings.

(a) Effective until the end of the term of the members of the county commission expiring in November 2022, the county commission of Cullman County shall be composed of three members who shall be nominated and elected by the qualified electors of the county at large. One member shall be elected for each district defined herein and the member shall be a resident and elector of the district from which the member is elected; however, the chair of the commission shall be a resident and elector from anywhere in the county. The powers, duties, terms, compensation, and manner of election for the members of the commission shall be the same as now provided by law, except as otherwise herein provided, and the incumbent commissioners shall continue to serve until the expiration of their current terms at which time the successor shall qualify as herein provided.

(b)(1) Effective for the term of the Associate Commissioners of the Cullman County Commission commencing in November 2022, the Cullman County Commission shall be composed of a chair and four associate commissioners who shall be nominated and elected by the qualified electors of the county at large.

(2) One associate commissioner shall be elected for each district defined herein and each associate commissioner shall be a resident and elector of the district that the member represents. The districts of the county commission shall be designated Commission District One; Commission District Two; Commission District Three; and Commission District Four. In order to stagger the terms of the associate commissioners, the associate commissioner initially elected from Commission District Three and Commission District Four shall be elected for an initial term of two years and the associate commissioners elected from Commission District One and Commission District Two shall be elected for a term of four years. Thereafter, successors shall be elected for terms of four years. The associate county commissioners shall serve on a part-time basis.

(3) The Chair of the Cullman County Commission shall continue to be a resident and elector from anywhere in the county and shall serve on a full-time basis. The chair of the county commission shall continue to serve a four-year term.

(4) The powers, duties, terms, and manner of election for the members of the county commission shall be the same as now provided by law, except as provided otherwise in this section. The chair of the county commission may not vote except in the case of a tie vote of the associate commissioners.

(5) Effective beginning in November 2020, the county commission shall hold at least one meeting of the commission each month after 6:00 p.m., in order to encourage members of the working public to attend commission meetings.

(Acts 1977, No. 469, p. 612, §1; Act 2020-161, §1.)