Following a backlash over lavish contracts and a leadership change, the Birmingham Water Works Board is considering a state audit.

State Representative David Standridge, a board member and Blount County appointee, pushed his colleagues to invite the Alabama State Board of Examiners to review the previous board's final findings during a heated Thursday night work session. His message was unambiguous: openness is essential to maintaining public trust and is not only good governance.

Standridge stated, "I want us to have as clean a slate as we can possibly get." "Independent scrutiny is the only way to lift the cloud that is looming over us."

The seven members of the board overwhelmingly supported the plan, and at Monday's next meeting, a formal vote is anticipated. If authorized, auditors would be entrusted with examining the terminated board's expenditures and contracts, particularly those concluded just before Governor Kay Ivey signed legislation dissolving it.

Contracts Worth Millions, No Public Input

The most obvious issue? In the waning hours of the board's meeting, a number of lucrative contracts were hurried through, including a five-year contract that named long standing legal advisor Mark Parnell general counsel and deputy general manager.

With a basic pay of $660,000 annually and an impressive list of benefits, that one deal alone is worth over $3 million.

The contracts' timing, which was pushed through just one day before the board was formally dissolved, has come under heavy fire. The previous board has been under fire for years for spending millions on marketing consultants, lobbyists, and law firms with political ties. Many are now questioning whether these last-minute deals were an abuse of power or a parting gift, especially with new leadership in charge.

Reactions from Workers and Retirees

Parnell's contract caused controversy among both employees and retirees, especially because it was included in the utility's pension plan even though he had never contributed to it. It was unpopular to think that a new boss could outshine long-serving employees in terms of retirement perks.

On Thursday evening, Parnell stated, "I am trying to do what is best for the water system, the staff, and the retirees." In a significant reversal, he admitted he had not expected the criticism and volunteered to drop out of the pension scheme. "That should not be a distraction for me."

The boardroom atmosphere appeared to be calmed by that compromise, but the annoyance persisted.

John Dansby, a retiree who worked for the utility for 25 years, stated that "the retirement system must not be altered." "Serve your time if you wish to get admitted."

Fairness was repeated by Rhonda Lewis, who retired after 31 years. Dansby continued, his words piercing the audience like a blade: "Nobody can jailbreak the Birmingham Water Works retirement plan." "The individuals who created that system own it."

The Start of a New Chapter

Transparency is the prevailing theme as a new board is currently leading the utility under recently enacted state legislation. For Standridge and others, the audit is an essential first step in restoring credibility rather than a political ploy.

He stated that "we must be willing to throw a light on the past if we want the public to believe in the new leadership."

How this new board handles the ghosts of prior contracts could set the tone for years to come in a city where water is both a legacy and a lifeblood.