Removal is among a number of changes recommended by the committee to reform its governance structure
Under pressure to keep politics from bogging down the latest attempt to raise water and sewer rates, the New Orleans Sewerage & Water Board's executive committee has voted to reform its governance structure, in part by removing three City Council members from the 13-member board.
The Times-Picayune reports the committee also endorsed adding another mayoral appointee to the board, slashing members' nine-year terms to six and capping consecutive terms at two. The full board could take up the proposal on Wednesday.
Governance of the 113-year-old agency has become a hotly debated issue as the board scrambles to sell the proposed rate increases to a skeptical public.
The board has historically been mired in political maneuvering and patronage.
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