Shelby County residents hear from new Birmingham Water Works Board member at town hall hosted by DuBose

Residents in Shelby County had the opportunity to this week to hear directly from their new representative on the Birmingham Regional Water Works Board during a town hall meeting in Hoover.

According to WBRC, Jeff Brumlow, who was recently appointed to the newly created regional board as the representative for Shelby County, made one of his first public appearances as a member of the group since it was established earlier this year.

The event was hosted by State Rep. Susan DuBose (R-Hoover), who thanked her constituents for attending the meeting via Facebook.

“We had a productive town hall last night! Thank you to Senator Dan Roberts and new water works board member Jeff Brumlow for the water works update. But most of all, THANK YOU to the residents of District 45 and the surrounding area. We also discussed the 2025 legislative session and addressed constituent questions. It is my honor to serve the people of District 45 and Alabama. It is my goal to be accessible and responsive.”

The town hall was convened amid an ongoing legal challenge in federal court over the restructuring of the board, which replaced the previous governance system of the Birmingham Water Works. The newly formed board comprises seven members and was established in response to concerns that the former structure failed to adequately represent the broader geographic area served by the utility.

Critics of the old board had long argued that while the Birmingham Water Works serves a significant number of customers outside the city, the board’s makeup was heavily weighted toward Birmingham interests. The new structure is intended to provide more balanced oversight across the region. However, concerns remain about whether the new governance fairly reflects the interests of Birmingham residents who historically held more influence over the system.

During the meeting, DuBose and Brumlow presented data suggesting that a large portion of Birmingham Water Works’ customers reside in cities such as Hoover and other parts of Shelby County. Brumlow shared figures indicating there are approximately 220,000 water taps connected to the utility, with only about a quarter located within Birmingham’s city limits. The majority are located across Jefferson County, with approximately 90 percent of all taps situated there.

The new board, which has been in operation for about six weeks, is currently focused on auditing the utility’s past operations to better understand its management practices and financial priorities, according to WBRC.

Board members are reviewing previous decisions and policies as part of a broader effort to ensure the system operates more effectively and transparently in the future.

Sherri Blevins is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You may contact her at [email protected].