Jefferson County, Ala., commissioners named two members to negotiate personally with creditors, bypassing a court-appointed receiver, as they again delayed a Chapter 9 bankruptcy that would be the nation’s largest.

In a unanimous vote on Aug. 12, the five commissioners voted for David Carrington, commission president, and James A. "Jimmie" Stephens, finance chairman, to start meeting personally with the creditors, which include J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., to reach a settlement on $3.2 billion in sewer bonds by Sept. 16.