Sen. Oliveira backs regional seats on Springfield Water and Sewer board

City and state leaders in Springfield are fighting back against a proposed shake up to the water and sewer board. 22 News reporter Sarah Bien-Aimé joins us live in the studio with both sides of the debate. That's right. Springfield leaders worry they'll lose control over infrastructure they spent decades building. We do have one of the best. Water systems here in the country, and we want to keep it that way. Springfield City and state leaders are pushing back against a proposal that would give surrounding communities more say in the city's water and sewer system. One thing is clear in Section 40 of that was that the city of Springfield will still have the authority and the rights to appoint the... Board members of that water commission. The Springfield Water and Sewer Commission serves 250,000 people across 10 communities. Yet, its three-member board is only chosen by Springfield. So State Senator Jake Oliveira is backing a plan to expand it to seven seats, four for Springfield and three for neighboring towns. In a letter to lawmakers, Oliveira argued that the towns paying into this regional system deserves a voice. He says the change would boost financial oversight while keeping Springfield in the majority. But Springfield leaders say paying for a service isn't the same as owning the system. We pay all the money. They want to come to the table, you come to the table with your checkbook and pay your way into a corporation to get some kind of ownership so you can have a say in this situation. Now, city leaders say this press conference is just the beginning of their efforts to stop the proposal from moving forward. We will not back down on this. Councilor Perez and I will be putting forward a resolution. From the City Council. The proposed changes to the Mass Ready Act is currently in the State Conference Committee. Working for you, Sarah Bien-Aimé, 22 News.