The Douglasville-Douglas County Water and Sewer Authority (WSA) has asked local state legislators to change the way members are selected for the WSA board of directors.

The request was made last Friday morning when WSA officials met with state representatives and senators to discuss upcoming legislation in the 2010 General Assembly.

Pete Frost, WSA executive director, asked the lawmakers to change WSA’s enabling legislation to allow Douglas County and the city of Douglasville to alternate in choosing a member for the board.

Currently, the law calls for the city or county to alternately select three nominees and the other to pick one from the list.

The WSA board has seven members who serve five-year terms. The mayor of Douglasville and the commission chairman of Douglas County are automatic board members. A board member can only serve two terms.

Frost said both the city and county have been slow in the past in naming their lists, and in one dispute, the court had to pick the director.

Both the city council and county board of commissioners have passed resolutions asking the state lawmakers to approve the new form of board member selection.

WSA was created in 1985 by the Georgia legislature as an independent agency to provide water and sewer service for both the city and county. Stormwater responsibility was added about four years ago.

Frost also asked the lawmakers for changes to the soil erosion law so that WSA can issue land disturbance permits. He said the need for issuing these permits was created when WSA took over stormwater responsibility.

“It would greatly streamline our development process,” he said.

Frost said he has talked with environmental groups, along with the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), who are all in agreement on the action.

He said WPA has also submitted a grant application to get federal funds to buy 19 houses that received substantial damage during last September’s flooding.