On Wednesday, Central Alabama Water settled one of the pending lawsuits against it in part by offering a new contract to the Birmingham Water Works Board's former attorney, Mark Parnell.
The vote came after a brief recess, during which the board went into executive session. Upon returning to the special-called meeting, they approved the settlement of the case.
In his lawsuit, Parnell defended the multi-million-dollar employment contract he was offered the night before the governor signed into law the bill that reconstituted the board. Parnell defended the employee contract and associated benefit package he was given, saying they were "to ensure institutional continuity" and to prevent senior leadership from leaving due to "political chaos."
According to a statement given to AL(dot)com by CAW, "The attorney general's office has indicated that the Water Works Board of the City of Birmingham had the authority to enter into Parnell's contract. CAW values Parnell's past professionalism, ethics, contribution and service to CAW."
The statement went on to say, "It is regrettable that this dispute has given the public the wrong impression that Parnell acted inappropriately or unethically."
The vote and board meeting are available to be viewed on the CAW Facebook page. The agreement was approved by a roll-call vote, with six of the seven members voting yes. Sheila Tyson was the lone no vote.
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