The Auburn City Council is the nine-member legislative body for Auburn, Alabama, made up of a mayor elected citywide and eight council members elected from wards. The council meets on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chamber at 141 N. Ross St., and agendas, meeting packets, and member contact information are posted on the city’s website.1City of Auburn. Agenda – City Council
Who Sits on the Council
All nine officials serve four-year terms.2Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 11-43A-78 – Election of Municipal Officers, Terms of Office The mayor presides over meetings and votes on every matter before the body. Each of the eight wards elects one council member, so every neighborhood has a direct representative at the table. Ward boundaries were most recently redrawn after the 2020 Census to equalize population across districts.3City of Auburn. City Council Approves Amended Version of Redistricting Plan
The current members, as published by the city, are:4City of Auburn. Council Members
- Mayor Ron Anders Jr. — randers@auburnal.gov, (334) 703-9000
- Ward 1, Connie Fitch Taylor — ctaylor@auburnal.gov, (334) 704-3970
- Ward 2, Kelley Griswold — kgriswold@auburnal.gov, (256) 975-8183
- Ward 3, Beth Witten (Mayor Pro Tem) — bwitten@auburnal.gov, (334) 740-8575
- Ward 4, Tyler Adams — tadams@auburnal.gov, (334) 748-3198
- Ward 5, Sonny Moreman — smoreman@auburnal.gov, (334) 748-3075
- Ward 6, Bob Parsons — bparsons@auburnal.gov, (334) 704-3657
- Ward 7, Max Coblentz — mcoblentz@auburnal.gov, (334) 748-2920
- Ward 8, Tommy Dawson — tdawson@auburnal.gov, (334) 559-3021
Not sure which ward you live in? The city publishes an official ward map on its website, and City Hall at 144 Tichenor Ave. can confirm your ward in person.
When and Where the Council Meets
Regular meetings fall on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chamber at 141 N. Ross St.1City of Auburn. Agenda – City Council Special meetings can be called outside that schedule when urgent business comes up.
Before each meeting, the city posts an “e-packet” on its website containing every document and staff report tied to items on the agenda. The agenda itself has two parts: a consent agenda for routine matters that pass in a single vote, and a regular agenda for items that call for discussion. Packets are typically posted several days ahead of the meeting, and reading the staff reports in advance usually gives a clearer picture of what a proposal would do than the discussion at the dais.
How to Speak at a Meeting
Auburn builds in two kinds of public comment, and the rules are not identical. Whichever one you plan to use, you have to speak from the podium with the microphone and state your name and physical address for the record before you say anything else. Comments are not permitted without that identification.5City of Auburn. Auburn Code of Ordinances – Rules of Procedure, Order of Business for City Council Meetings
Comment on an Agenda Item or Public Hearing
When the council takes up a specific agenda item, or holds a formal public hearing on a zoning request or similar land-use matter, the mayor invites comment from the audience. Each speaker gets up to five minutes.5City of Auburn. Auburn Code of Ordinances – Rules of Procedure, Order of Business for City Council Meetings
Citizens’ Open Forum
Each regular meeting also sets aside an open forum for topics that are not on the agenda. The limit here is three minutes rather than five, and organized groups are expected to designate a single representative for one three-minute session.5City of Auburn. Auburn Code of Ordinances – Rules of Procedure, Order of Business for City Council Meetings The council does not usually debate or vote on open forum comments in real time; the mayor may ask the city manager to follow up with the speaker afterward.
In both settings, you may address the council only once per item unless a member asks you a direct question. Anyone who plans to use a slide deck or other visual aid has to submit it to the city manager by noon on the day of the meeting.
What the Council Decides
Auburn uses a council-manager form of government. The council sets policy and passes ordinances, and an appointed city manager runs daily operations.6City of Auburn. Auburn Community Profile – Municipal Government State law gives the council management and control of the city’s finances and all municipal property, which in practice puts votes on tax rates, service contracts, zoning changes, and development approvals on its calendar.7Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 11-43-56 – Management and Control of Finances and Property of Municipality
Permanent ordinances cannot be passed at the same meeting where they are first introduced unless every council member present votes in favor. If the vote is not unanimous, the ordinance comes back for a second reading at a later meeting.8Municode. Auburn Code of Ordinances – Chapter 2 Administration, Article I In General That gap is where public comment at the first meeting can actually change what the council eventually adopts.
The Biennial Budget
Auburn budgets on a two-year cycle rather than annually, a change the city made in 2000. The Budget and Strategic Planning Division prepares a proposed budget made up of two one-year budgets along with a six-year capital plan, and the council reviews and approves it.9City of Auburn. Budget Because the budget sets priorities for two full years across every department, the vote to adopt it has a longer reach than in cities that budget annually. Mid-cycle adjustments are possible but take additional council action.
Zoning and Appointments
Rezoning requests, annexations, and major development proposals come to the council after review by the Planning Commission. The commission’s recommendations carry weight, but the council is not bound by them. Property owners seeking a variance from zoning rules, or appealing a decision by the Planning Director, go to the Board of Zoning Adjustment instead of the council.10City of Auburn. Board of Zoning Adjustment
The council also appoints residents to 22 boards and commissions, with roughly 122 residents serving at any given time. Vacancies on the Planning Commission and Board of Education are announced at least eight weeks before the appointment date so the council has time to screen applicants and conduct interviews.11City of Auburn. Boards and Commissions The Mayor Pro Tem reviews applications and recommends candidates to the full council, except for bodies where the mayor personally nominates members, including the Historic Preservation Commission and the Planning Commission.12City of Auburn. City of Auburn Boards and Commissions Appointment Procedures
Requesting Council Records
Minutes, financial documents, and correspondence tied to the council are available through the city clerk’s office. Alabama law now sets mandatory response timelines for public records requests, under legislation that took effect October 1, 2024.13Alabama Legislature. SB 270 Enrolled A government agency must acknowledge receipt of a request within 10 days. Within 15 days of that acknowledgment, the agency must either produce the records, offer a timeline, request payment for costs, or issue a denial. For standard requests estimated to take eight hours or less of staff time, a requester can treat the request as denied if no response arrives within 30 business days. Requests classified as time-intensive have longer windows. Identifying the specific document or subject in the request tends to speed things along.