TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Tuscaloosa City Council President Kip Tyner, who represented District 5 for nearly three decades and played a prominent role in the redevelopment of the Alberta community following the 2011 tornado, died Friday. He was 70. The City of Tuscaloosa announced his death Sept. 18.
Tyner was first elected to the City Council in 1997. He was serving his seventh consecutive term representing District 5 and his second term as council president. He ran unopposed for the District 5 seat in the city’s 2025 municipal election.
Much of Tyner’s work on the council centered on Alberta. The city credited him with supporting projects that included the recruitment of SWJ Technology, development of the Tuscaloosa Tennis Center, improvements along Juanita Drive and the University Boulevard East Improvements Project.
His tenure also included the aftermath of the April 27, 2011, tornado, which devastated much of Alberta. Mayor Walt Maddox credited Tyner with helping drive the rebuilding and revitalization of the district following the disaster.
“My heart is heavy today as we mourn the loss of a truly consequential public servant,” Maddox said in the city’s announcement, calling Tyner a “steadfast and lifelong champion for Alberta.”
Tyner was also an advocate for animal welfare and served as chair of the Tuscaloosa Metro Animal Shelter Advisory Committee.
A Tuscaloosa native, Tyner graduated from Tuscaloosa High School and earned a journalism degree from the University of Alabama. His city biography also lists him as the owner of Kip Tyner Productions and a former assistant press secretary to U.S. Sen. John Sparkman.
District 2 Councilor Raevan Howard remembered Tyner as both a community leader and a friend, saying his work in District 5 would have a lasting impact.
Maddox ordered city flags lowered to half-staff in Tyner’s honor. Memorial arrangements had not yet been announced.