I lived in Alabama for quite some time. For anyone not reading the wikipedia article (and tbh, I haven't either, but am quite familiar with it's constitution) it was expressly written to consolidate power in the "planter" rich, white, ruling class and take power from both Blacks and lower SES whites, with a bit of a sop to the more independent farmers of the North Alabama hills (remember this was a time of far from universal suffrage) The result was that most cities and counties don't have a lot of direct control, and any little thing has go through the amendment process: e.g. this year question 8 on the ballot refers to Shelby county's regulation of sewer rates

It's a shitshow through and through