Mayor Mitch Landrieu announced on Tuesday his support for reforms that "will reorganize the governance, the accountability and the operations of the Sewerage and Water Board."

Landrieu says the public has demanded a change in the governance of the board at a time when it seeks hefty rate increases for infrastructure repairs over the next several years.

Reforms include reducing the board from 13 members to 9, removing the three City Council members on the board, reducing the terms of board members from 9 years to 6 years and board members will serve just two terms. The mayor would continue to hold a position on the board, and 6 appointees to the board would be nominated by university presidents.

"One of the things that we heard very clearly from the taxpayers, when they said to fix the sewerage and water board, was change the governing structure. We want to have more confidence in the way that organization operates," Landrieu said.

"It is time to act on this reform. This can has been kicked down the road by generations of New Orleanians, and it has put the city in a very vulnerable place."