The Alabama Senate on Thursday approved with little discussion an amended bill to shrink the Birmingham Water Works Board and change how and from where members are appointed.
Supporters hope a new oversight structure will bring in more financial and management experience to the utility that has been plagued with billing, infrastructure and leadership issues and create a more efficient water system.
When filed a week ago, Senate Bill 330 set off a filibuster by Birmingham Democrats who later accused Republicans of a power grab for control of the utility that serves five counties.
Thursday morning, it passed 30-0 with little discussion.
The original Senate Bill 330 by Sen. Dan Roberts, R-Mountain Brook, took the current nine-member water board to a five-member regional board of directors and gave more appointments to communities outside of Birmingham. Currently, six of the nine members are from Birmingham.
After negotiations with Democrats, two more members were added: One made by the governor and one made by the Birmingham City Council.
“We have the makings of a great water system here,” Roberts told reporters after the bill’s passage. While he would have preferred a more nimble five-member board, he said the compromise was needed to avoid problems for his colleagues in the remaining two weeks of the session.
Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, declined comment Thursday afternoon, saying he’d wait until the governor signs the bill. It next moves to the House.
The bill requires some of the newly appointed directors to have either financial, engineering, or business experience.
The water system serves 770,000 people in five counties, the majority of them in Jefferson County.
“This is good for Birmingham, this is good for Jefferson County, this is good for Walker, Blount, Shelby and St. Clair counties.” Roberts said.
In his arguments for the bill, Roberts has said the system loses nearly 50% of the water it pumps before it reaches customers’ homes and businesses. He said the current system has caused the Birmingham metro area to lose economic development opportunities.