The Birmingham Water Works Board has ceased to operate. Instead, familiarize yourself with "Central Alabama Water," which is now the term for the state’s biggest water provider after board members approved the rebranding initiative.
On Tuesday evening, the board members agreed to alter both the official and public names of the utility. Legally, the name will be updated to "City of Birmingham Regional Water Works," but it will operate under the trade name Central Alabama Water.
"The law states that we have permission to alter the name provided that the official designation remains 'Birmingham,' " stated Board Chairman Tommy Hudson, a Mountain Brook resident appointed by Governor Kay Ivey.
The motion to alter the name was approved with a 5-2 majority, where all representatives from outlying districts concurred, whereas the two councilors hailing from Birmingham City dissented. Jarvis Patton and Jefferson County Commissioner Sheila Tyson stood as the sole dissenters against this decision.
Jeffrey Brumlow, who was appointed from Shelby County, proposed amending the name to incorporate Central Alabama Water.
The renaming of the waterworks elicited an instant response from certain Birmingham city officials.
"I'm interested in knowing the expense involved since every vehicle needs to be relabeled, each uniform has to be changed, and all the water towers require repainting. What’s the point of this?" stated Councilwoman Carol Clarke. Shortly afterwards, "Birmingham is both a city and a region, which doesn’t make logical sense."
Clarke stated that the revised board structure was promoted as a means to introduce reforms aimed at benefiting consumers, yet random alterations to names do not align with this claimed objective.
It simply appears that reforms are nonexistent," Clarke stated. "This raises questions about what all of this truly entails since we require a more efficient system for the consumers.
The Tuesday meeting was marked by tension at several points, often splitting 5-2, which highlighted the political and geographical divisions among the board members.
The five members of the majority group were all chosen by Republican officials and originate from locations beyond Birmingham’s city boundaries. Patton and Tyson, however, were selected by Birmingham’s mayor and city council within this predominantly Democratic area.
Hudson initiated the meeting by establishing his authority and stating that the board must follow rules which restrict each member from commenting more than twice per issue, require all inquiries to be addressed directly to him, and forbid any disrespectful comments.
After a contentious exchange during a recent work session, Hudson imposed strict limitations on discussions. During this meeting, Patton and Tyson opposed the majority view on multiple issues, such as bringing aboard another legal team to manage the city’s lawsuit contesting the newly appointed board’s structure.
A legislation passed by the lawmakers redesigned the waterworks board structure. The new legislation removed major control from the city of Birmingham, restructuring the board into a regional format and granting most authority to suburban regions with a 5-to-2 vote distribution.
The recently hired law firm, Capell & Howard P.C., based in Montgomery, was added to the agenda on Tuesday. Neither Birmingham’s Tyson nor Patton had any say in this decision, as stated by both Birmingham representatives.
The City of Birmingham has initiated a federal lawsuit contesting the state legislation. that took control of the utility away from local authorities.
Capell & Howard P.C. was approved on Tuesday evening with a 5-2 vote.
The company was the most recent addition to an increasing number of attorney appointments made by the newly formed governing board. The previous board had frequently faced criticism, partly due to their use of ratepayer funds to employ external legal firms.
Are we going to continue running things like this for the remainder of the year?" Patton questioned Hudson during their work meeting about the issue last week. "I believe you have more integrity than that.
"That's not how you manage a board," Tyson commented at the time.
However, by Tuesday evening, discussions were forbidden under Hudson’s revised guidelines, leaving Patton unable to contribute or inquire further whenever he tried to speak up or question something.
Prior to being dismissed by the legislature, the members of the old waterworks board faced criticism for implementing a policy that restricted opportunities for public input.
The policy of the newly formed board restricts remarks made by its own board members.
"You must allow us to speak now," Tyson said to Hudson as she pushed for further discussion prior to voting on hiring an auditor.
"No, I don't," Hudson retorted.
Patton proceeded to inquire about the process through which items make it onto the agenda without being discussed by the board.
"I apologize, but I'm requesting a vote at this point," Hudson stated prior to the 5-2 vote approving the proposal to employ Warren Averett CPAs.
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