A bill to establish an unpaid, elected Wareham Board of Sewer Commissioners was signed into law by Gov. Deval Patrick on Friday.

The bill, giving state approval to a measure approved by Town Meeting a year ago, provides for the town's sewer system to be overseen by an elected, unpaid, five-member Board of Sewer Commissioners. At least three of the commissioners will be sewer users, and at least one be a non-sewer user. All will serve three-year terms.

At present, Selectmen serve in the dual role of Sewer Commissioners. As the sewer system has explanded and related issues have become more complex and time-consuming, selectmen themselves agreed that sewer matters would be best handled by a board focused just on the sewer system.

The first sewer commissioners will be selected in the Town Election in April of 2015 and will take office on May 1, 2015, according to Selectman Alan Slavin.

That election will conclude a long process that began in 2010.

The effort to change the town charter and establish the board was first passed by Town Meeting in the fall of 2010. For reasons that have never been clear, the needed state legislation to approve the charter change was not formally filed with the Legislature -- thus the whole measure died due to inaction.

The matter of establishing a sewer commission was brought before Town Meeting again in the fall of 2012, but voters elected to send it for further study. The current measure was approved by voters at the spring 2013 Town Meeting.

Explaining the year-long gap between town and state approval of the 2013 measure, state Sen. Marc Pacheco said, "There were some questions as to whether or not the leaders of the town were supportive of the measure . . . .We had a number of issues getting the legal language to us and confirming what the town wanted to do."

The bill states the board of commissioners, in addition to overseeing the existing system, its operation and finances, will develop a comprehensive plan for a town-wide sewer system.

The day-to-day operation, care and maintenance of the sewer department will be under the supervision of a sewer superintendent appointed by the commissioners.

The bill was passed by the state Senate on March 20, enacted by the House on May 14 and signed by the governor on May 22.