Voters in Alabama’s 10th-largest city overwhelmingly rejected in a referendum Tuesday a proposal that would overhaul the city’s form of government.

Madison, a suburb of Huntsville with almost 60,000 people, will not change its governing format that would have substantially alter the role of the mayor and reduce the city council from seven districts to six.

In unofficial results, 75 percent of voters opposed the proposal. There were 5,553 votes against the proposal while votes in favor were 1,865.

Madison will continue with its mayor-council form of government that is most prevalent in Alabama.

“The city of Madison was happy to see engaged citizens for this election,” Madison Mayor Paul Finley said in a statement Tuesday night. “Our community voiced its opinion to continue operating under a mayor-council form of government. We have a proven track record of success with this form of government, and we have managed growth and numerous projects for long-term progress. Your elected officials will continue to work hard for quality of life in Madison. Whichever way you cast your vote, as council and mayor, we are encouraged in our community’s involvement with municipal government.”

The referendum culminates a process that began in 2021 when Madison Mayor Paul Finley appointed a governance transition committee to study the issue of the city possibly implementing a council-manager form of government that is common nationwide but rare in Alabama. That commission unanimously concluded that adopting a council-manager format was ideal for Madison.

A group in support of the change, Madison Forward, led the effort to collect enough signatures on a petition to put the issue before voters in the referendum — a process concluded in February and approved by the probate judges in Madison and Limestone counties. Parts of Madison are in both counties.

Under the proposal, the mayor would become a voting member of the council as an at-large representative. To make room for the mayor, the council would be reduced from seven districts to six. The council would also hire a city manager to handle day-to-day activities while the mayor would remain the face of the city and, with the council, set the vision for Madison.

Opponents raised concerns about the restructuring of the city council as well as questioning the accountability of an unelected city manager.

Only 14 cities in Alabama operate under the council-manager format while, nationwide, 40 percent of towns and cities with populations of more than 2,500 people use council-manager. That’s the most common municipal governing format across the country, followed by mayor-council at 38 percent.