Committee advances bill allowing joint water/sewer authorities to opt for governor‑appointed boards

The committee reviewed S.829, a bill proposing changes to the 1983 Joint Authority Water and Sewer Systems Act. Sponsor told the committee the bill would let a joint system elect to have its governing commission appointed by the governor based on legislative‑delegation nominations; appointees must be customers of the system and cannot be officers or employees.

A subcommittee amendment reorganized sentence sequence in the bonding section to clarify that governing‑body appointments do not require separate local approvals for the issuance of bonds; the amendment was described as a technical fix to aid bonding counsel. The committee adopted the amendment and voted the bill forward by voice vote.

Committee members said the change was intended to make governance and bonding more efficient for regional systems that opt in to the new arrangement.