Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin and members of the Birmingham City Council gathered Tuesday evening in front of City Hall in solidarity against fast-moving state legislation that would reorganize the Birmingham Water Works Board and diminish the city’s decision-making powers over the utility.

The bill to change the water works to a regional board heads to a final vote in the House as early as Thursday after easily being approved in the Senate.

City leaders called the proposal an attack on Birmingham and its residents.

“The ratepayers deserve to be at the forefront of this conversation, and they have not been,” Woodfin said.

 “Let’s call it what it is. This is a political power grab. This is not in the best interest of our citizens.”

If approved, the proposed legislation would be the most significant change to the state’s largest water utility since it was expanded a decade ago to create new seats for members from Blount and Shelby Counties.

Currently, the nine-member board has six seats from Birmingham, one from the Jefferson County Mayors Association and one each from Blount and Shelby counties.

The bill would change the board to a seven-member panel dominated by appointees from outside the city of Birmingham, reducing the city’s seats to just two. The Republican-sponsored bill passed the senate and heads to the house floor as early as Thursday in the GOP-dominated legislature.

“We are united in opposition to this bill,” said Birmingham City Council President Darrell O’Quinn.

“This is a clear usurping of local power,” said O’Quinn, who was joined at the podium by Councilmembers Wardine Alexander, Carol Clarke, J.T. Moore and LaTonya Tate.

O’Quinn did not directly address whether the city would sue to block the legislation if it passed.

“We’re not there yet,” he said, adding that city leaders are communicating with both Republicans and Democrats who still have concerns about the bill’s fairness.

While local leaders expressed strong words of opposition at the news conference, no action plan was presented and Woodfin left the five-minute standup event without taking questions, leaving some residents frustrated by the city’s response.

Commenters on social media and on political talk radio Wednesday morning largely panned the city’s news conference, calling it too weak and too late.

“And the Oscar award goes to Randall Woodfin for acting like he cares,” one listener posted on Facebook during the Gary Richardson Morning Show on WJLD radio.

On Facebook, some were frustrated that Tuesday’s event failed to present new information to fight the legislation.

“What are the next steps?” wrote C.L. Patterson. “We know who voted and how they voted. WHATS THE PLAN!?”

Others urged the city to file a lawsuit to challenge the constitutionality of the takeover.

“The only thing I see that could happen is file a suit in federal court on behalf of ratepayers to enjoin this from going forward at this time,” wrote Harvey Henley Jr.

Another radio caller compared the city’s comments to political theater.

“It will be over tomorrow because they’re playing games. They aren’t doing nothing standing outside talking in front of city hall,” said one caller. “It’s over. If you care, do something about it.”