Editor’s Note: This is an opinion column.
By Paul DeMarco
I do not think it is much of a stretch to say that the average residential ratepayer of the Birmingham Water Works Board does not have much confidence in the organization.
Obviously, the years-long bungling of billing by the Board has been front and center. Some ratepayers go months before they get a bill, and when they get the invoice for their water usage, there are legitimate questions about the bill that finally ends up in their mailbox.
Of course, we are also used to the regular headlines over the years of malfeasance by a board member or a vendor regarding using their positions for personal gain. Actually, there have been three convictions over the past three years that finally brought some sense of justice for ratepayers.
There was also legislation to reform the Board and the representation on the Board that we were hopeful would bring some decades-long relief to the troubled entity. All ratepayers want is clean water at a fair price. Instead, they have gotten a board that continuously raises the specter of the worst in government and the waste of public dollars.
Alabama is no stranger to public corruption. Thus the fact that there are new allegations of potential wrongdoing at the Board does not shock anyone anymore. The ratepayers ask will it ever end.
Yet, not just those who depend on water for their homes need a resolution. Businesses in the Birmingham metro region also need a reliable and cost-efficient way to get water to operate their facilities. Whether one runs a large industrial manufacturing plant or a small retail operation, the waste and largess at the Birmingham Water Works affect them both. Inflation will eventually go down, but all ratepayers hope for the day the Board does not keep raising the cost of their water. Unfortunately, there are new reports that the Board is considering another significant rate hike this year.
If you are looking to put down your new company’s roots in the Birmingham metro region, one of the questions would be who would provide your water and how much that cost will run in the future. Local chambers of commerce talk a lot about economic development, and clearly, the Birmingham Water Works Board is not a talking point to draw new businesses to the region.
It will take a complete overhaul of the Board and the way they operate to get this right, once and for all. To make that happen, regional business leaders should move to the front of the line to demand reform of the Board. These leaders have the power and influence to prioritize this for lawmakers. In addition, state representatives and senators need to focus on changing how the Board operates so it is accountable to the public.
It should not take more criminal investigations nor guilty verdicts to finally give Birmingham Water Works Board ratepayers what they deserve and need after years of problems: a board that puts them first.
Paul DeMarco is a former member of the Alabama House of Representatives and can be found on Twitter at @Paul_DeMarco.