The Birmingham Water Works Board selected a familiar face to be the utility’s next general manager Wednesday during a meeting in which a former board member was ejected for comments he made criticizing the choice.

New General Manager Mac Underwood previously served as Birmingham Water Works’ general manager from 2005 to 2018, and he has served as interim deputy general manager of the utility since September. Gen. Ronald Burgess, who led a nationwide search for a general manager after Michael Johnson retired in June 2024, said Underwood’s qualifications equaled or exceeded those of other candidates and Underwood possesses something those candidates don’t.

“What differentiates Mac is his understanding of the culture, his understanding of the mission of this particular water works to the five counties that it serves,” said Burgess, who presented his recommendation to the board before it voted. “The board, as I said, gave me unfettered access across this whole entity. As I watched the interaction of the employees with Mac, that really kind of pushed it over the edge. There is a mutual respect there, and they recognize good leadership when they see it.”

In a public comment portion of the meeting, William Muhammad, who previously served on the Water Works board, spoke in opposition to Underwood’s selection.

“The hiring of the GM without the input of all board members is more of the same unethical behavior that seems to be the case here now, especially when two board members’ terms have expired,” Muhammad said. “New board members deserve to ask any candidate about their past, especially if that candidate is a past employee who was involved in scandal.” Muhammad was referring to two current board members who under state law are continuing to serve past the end of their terms because the bodies they represent have not chosen new members.

Chairwoman Tereshia Huffman interrupted his comments and then asked security personnel to escort him from the building. Huffman said she had Muhammad removed because he violated rules of professionalism and integrity.

“I just want to make sure that we keep this place positive and keep the words non-violent and where it operates on a level of integrity that we expect from our leadership team,” Huffman said after the meeting.

Underwood left the Water Works’ general manager role in December 2018 under unclear circumstances. According to an al.com report, the board voted to terminate his employment after stating he had resigned. Underwood’s attorney said he had not resigned.

Underwood will take on the general manager role March 1. In addition to working for Birmingham Water Works for much of his career, Underwood served as finance director for the city of Birmingham from 1994 to 2001 and launched a financial consulting business in 2019. He was elected in 2017 to chair the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies board.

When asked what customers can expect from his administration, Underwood said the focus will remain on customer service and billing, as it has been during the interim period since Johnson’s retirement.

“We have gone through that department and reorganized that department and put some key people in key places,” he said. “That’s why you see the numbers going down. We require more accountability in all areas. What we’re trying to do is read the meters accurately on the front end, which reduces the number of exceptions on the back end. Overall, we’re going to move towards automated meter reading that will allow customers to really look at their own bill and look at their own meter reading.”

He said the automated-meter-reading system is expected to be fully operational in 2028 or 2029.

Interim Team’s Accomplishments

Darryl Jones, who has served as interim general manager since June 2024 and oversaw four interim managers, including Underwood, gave a presentation on the challenges the interim team faced and ways it had addressed those issues. He highlighted customer service and billing problems, low employee morale, fleet-vehicle shortages and maintenance costs, and uninvested funds. Jones’ presentation and a presentation by Michael Parker, interim senior customer care manager, included the following details.

• For the first time in five years, the Water Works is estimating fewer than 1,000 customer bills per month, as opposed to reading the meters. In January 2022, the number of estimated bills spiked to more than 110,000 — half of all meters, Parker said.
• A new service the Water Works is using will call customers back so they do not have to wait on hold.
• When the interim team began work, 100 jobs were open. Sixty jobs, including key positions, have been filled.
• Funds the Water Works invested in mid-October have generated more than $227,000 in returns and are expected to produce more than $910,000 in annual income.
• The numbers of unreasonably high bills, other billing issues and customer complaints have gone down during the interim management team’s tenure.

Jones will remain with Birmingham Water Works as a part-time consultant after Underwood takes over.

Birmingham Water Works is the largest water utility in Alabama, with customers in the five-county greater Birmingham area.