Birmingham Water Works Board authorizes selling to city as Gov. Ivey signs 'unconstitutional' restructuring bill

Video above: Gov. Kay Ivey signs SB 330The Birmingham Water Works Board voted to authorize its chairwoman to move forward with a purchase agreement with the City of Birmingham on Wednesday.This comes after Gov. Kay Ivey signed a bill that would restructure the board earlier the same day.The board voted 5-2 on Wednesday to authorize Chairwoman Tereshia Huffman to execute the agreement, which was approved by the Birmingham City Council on Tuesday.”This is a complicated process with a lot of moving parts, but the board voted to move forward with continued discussions with city officials to make this a reality,” the Birmingham Water Works Board said in a statement.As of Wednesday night, the city and the board are “still in active negotiations.” The city hopes the moves can throw a wrench in legislation’s potential impact.“If we move forward with the sale and took back, our took possession of the assets, then it would invalidate that law,” City Council President Darrell O’Quinn said.>> Previous Coverage: Get the facts on the bill that would restructure the boardA lawsuitBirmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin announced a federal lawsuit against Ivey in an attempt to stop the bill’s signing on Tuesday.“Two wrongs don’t make a right. And everything in SB330 on its face is unconstitutional,” Woodfin said.Ivey’s office issued the following response to the lawsuit Tuesday afternoon:”We are aware of the lawsuit and are reviewing this highly unusual attempt to stop the governor from signing a bill passed by the legislature.” Previous coverage below: Leaders react to push to restructure Birmingham Water Works Board