Effective July 1, 1998, without diminishing the powers of the authority pursuant to Code Section 12-3-524, all personnel positions authorized by the authority in fiscal year 1998 shall be transferred to the Department of Community Affairs. All employees of the authority on June 30, 1998, whose positions are transferred by the authority to the Department of Community Affairs shall become employees of the Department of Community Affairs and shall become employees in the unclassified service of the state merit system as defined in Code Section 45-20-6.