HB502 Alabama 2016 Session

Updated Feb 24, 2026

Summary

Primary Sponsor: Kyle South
Republican
Session: Regular Session 2016
Title: Fayette Co., Water Coordinating and Fire Prevention Authority, board of directors, members further provided for, competitive bid laws, exemption deleted, Secs. 45-29-140.04, 45-29-140.06 am'd.
Summary: HB502 rewrites Fayette County's Water Coordinating and Fire Prevention Authority board and ends its exemption from competitive bid laws.
What This Bill Does
It specifies who may appoint members to the authority's board and the initial terms for those directors, including the county engineer as an ex officio non-voting member and the chair as the senator-appointed incorporator. It sets ongoing director terms (three years) and rules for vacancies, removal, eligibility, and compensation. It removes the state's competitive bid exemption for the authority's contracts, so bidding will follow standard competitive bid laws. It also outlines governance steps like electing a vice chair and secretary-treasurer and governs chair term limits.

Who It Affects
Residents and property owners within the Fayette County service area, who will be represented on the authority's board and whose interests may be affected by the authority's decisions.
Local government entities and public contractors in Fayette County (county commission, municipalities, Fayette County Firefighters Association, water authorities, and entities bidding on authority contracts), who participate in appointment processes and must follow the authority's procurement and governance rules.

Key Provisions
Amends 45-29-140.04 to lay out the initial board composition and terms: county engineer appointed by the Fayette County Commission; two additional directors from the Commission; one director from the Fayette County Firefighters Association; one director appointed by the elected mayors of all Fayette County municipalities; one director appointed by the chairs of the county's water authorities; one senator-appointed incorporator as chair during the initial term; one House-member-appointed incorporator with a two-year initial term; and the county engineer as ex officio, non-voting director.
Initial terms for these directors are specified (two years for some appointees, one year for the Firefighters Association member, three years for the water authority chair's appointee, etc.), with the chair to be the senator's incorporator for the initial term.
After initial terms, directors serve three-year terms; vacancies are filled by the original appointing authority; there are eligibility rules (qualified elector, resident, and property owner in the service area) and limits of two consecutive terms; there are removal and impeachment provisions and a process for replacements.
Amends 45-29-140.06 to grant powers such as borrowing, contracting for construction, leasing parts of the system, investing funds, and other typical authority activities; clarifies investment and tax provisions related to operations.
Deletes the exemption from competitive bid laws for authority contracts, meaning contracts must follow state competitive bidding requirements.
Effective date: the act becomes law on the first day of the third month after passage and governor approval.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 24, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.
Subjects: Fayette County