Gov. Kay Ivey today signed a bill passed by the Legislature to restructure the Birmingham Water Works Board as a regional board and reduce the city of Birmingham’s influence.

City officials have filed suit to block implementation of the new law, and a federal judge has set a May 15 hearing for arguments. The suit alleges that the law is racially motivated, unconstitutional and an “extreme governmental overreach in response to perceived management issues.”

The law reduces appointments by Birmingham officials from six to two. Currently, two directors are appointed to the BWWB by the mayor of Birmingham; four by the Birmingham City Council; one by the Jefferson County Mayors Association; one by the Shelby County Commission; and one by the Blount County Commission.

Under the new bill, the governor would appoint one member, who would have to be from Jefferson County; and one member each would be appointed by the lieutenant governor, the Birmingham City Council, the Birmingham mayor, the Jefferson County Commission president, the governing body of each county in which a BWWB-owned major reservoir is principally located, and by the commission in the county where the second-largest number of water customers reside. Those last two provisions at this time give Blount and Shelby counties at least one appointment each.

The appointing authorities have 20 days to make new appointments to the board.

Board members, who see the law much as a state takeover of Birmingham-area resources, are meeting at 6:15 p.m. to discuss the issues, and the City Council has scheduled meetings on the subject for Thursday and Friday.

Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin in a statement called the new law “an affront to the Birmingham customer.”

“My only priority in this issue is the Birmingham customer of the water works. They make up 41 percent of the system and deserve to have fair representation on a public utility board,” he said in the statement. “In no way am I here to defend the water works board and the politics surrounding it over the years. This bill adds more politics to the board: self appointment from politicians, elected officials appointing other elected officials, and board members being paid more money.”

Woodfin continued: “If this takeover stands, then I urge you to take up any concerns you have about water works operations or your bill with Gov. Kay Ivey, Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth, Sen. Dan Roberts, and Rep. Jim Carns.”