Jackson Jambalaya

There's never been a local tax increase, sales and/or property, that RINO Ben Allen did not warmly support and embrace.

Keep fighting those windmills....

great - another tax put upon Jackson property. already have property taxes twice as high as any surrounding city; plus an additional sales tax for convention center; plus an additional sales tax for infrastructure; plus an additional property tax for the downtown partnership. now, because city cannot manage its budgets; eliminating spending for things that are unnecessary but a fav of certain groups, so those that want to try to get decent streets in their neighborhoods are asked to raise their taxes - again.

Ben and his neighbors in Eastover might be ok with this; but some of us folks that are trying our best to stay in Jackson; having to pay for private schools because JPS is such a failure nobody in their right mind would subject their kids to such a lack of opportunity; having to pay real estate taxes that constantly rise while property values are falling - we don't want the additional tax added.

Thank you Lt Gov Reeves, and Senate, for holding the line on this new tax scheme.

No hard feelings, Ben, but shouldn't someone else carry the baton for this one?? Plenty of young white 30-ish men with fratboy haircuts that can fill the void.

### Metro Ad Valorem Millage Rates (as of 12-31-2016) ###

Jackson = 69.03 mils [CID **LUNACY** Rate]

Jackson = 63.03 mils [includes Lumumba 2017 2.0 mil increase]

Canton = 56.32 mils

Edwards = 47.0 mils
Clinton = 41.49 mils

Bolton = 36.3 mils
Flora = 34.5 mils
Byram = 34.1 mils
---> AVERAGE = 32.8 mils <---

Brandon = 29.0 mils
Madison = 28.8 mils
Terry = 27.85 mils
Pearl = 27.5 mils
Pelahatchie = 26.0 mils
Raymond = 25.62 mils
Florence = 22.9 mils
Ridgeland = 20.03 mils
Flowood = 20.0 mils

Richland = 19.0 mils

*excludes County & School District

Read 3045 last time Kingfish brought this up and saw nothing in the proposed legislation that protects seniors on fixed incomes from the CID tax increase. Too many of the seniors on my street are already struggling to make ends meet.

If only NE Jxn had some influence in the legislature with Gunn. The residents there are between a rock and a really hard place. Those running the majority black city could care less about them as they just want their tax dollars while the legislature doesn't want to do ANYTHING to help the Bold New City. This redefines "on an island".

... plus an additional sales tax for infrastructure ...

The fund for that sales tax was just raided in the last couple of weeks to bail out the nearly insolvent Jackson water department. UNUSUAL that the news of this massive bailout wasn't covered by Kingfish. Hmmmmm.

Great point, 5:42. There are plenty of millennial lobbyists & legislative moochers who live in Eastover, LOHO and CCJ who are close to Speaker and Tater who get plenty of "stuff" for their high paying clients. It just shows that they won't do anything for free.

5:54- the fund was "raided" for what? To pay for water and sewer line replacements? Just what do you think this fund is supposed to pay for? When I read the legislation, it was for infrastructure, including roads, bridges, water, sewer, drainage. Why is it 'raiding' to pay for water or sewer replacement projects? Other than you don't like it, and again you are trying to get KF to write about your bitches. My suggestion - start your own blog and you can bitch about anything at all, whether it has merit or not.

Chill out. I had someone record the meeting and I have the handout for it. It will be posted this week.

@5:25 PM we're still paying the 2 mil increase Allen hoodwinked, er, promised would be TEMPORARY when he was still on the City Council.

Jackson water dept nearing default on bond covenants. Sorry 6:19 PM bailing out that fiasco wasn't what was in mind when the Legislature passed the enabling legislation.

Of course Peter Parrot will be along after Kingfish publishes to let everyone know that everyone else is all wrong and he is solely right.

I've lived in Jackson my entire life. I'm 64. I'm WAY overtaxed. All you people proposing this additional tax on me can bite my shiny metal ass. Raise taxes some more and I'm saying goodbye to the city that I've tried to continue to support. You can't drive a straight line down the street that I live on, I have to boil my water on a regular basis. It didn't used to be like this.

Somehow I don't think having the face old NEJackson white wealth, Leland Speed, front this effort sends the right message.

The city’s water/sewer cash reserves have dropped to $3.2 million, less than half of what is required to meet bond covenants.

Without the money, [Robert] Miller told the commission the city couldn’t pay for completed repairs and would be in danger of defaulting on its water and sewer bonds.

Jackson currently has $215 million in water and sewer debt. According to bond agreements, the city must maintain at least $7.7 million, or two months of cash on hand to cover operating costs and bond payments.

“The water and sewer system is facing a significant and immediate liquidity crisis,” he said.

Move?? Hell, your trapped. Nobody’s buying in jackganistan. High taxes, shitty streets, boil your water, shitty public schools, high crime, lenient judges. I have a business in Jackson. That’s my last connection. Moved the family to Madison and love it.

Ol, shortsighted folks. I guess you want to wait for the next tax increase where funds are spread out to cover who knows what? Personally, I would rather see funds stay in my area to enhance and stabilize property values near my Investment. Either way, you’re going to see continued increases.

Paved streets and clean water are symbols of oppression and hate in the Old South.

Like Jim Hood, our next Governor, said today at the Rotary Club of Jackson, Tate Reeves (he didn't use his name but connecting dots was child's play), while the house is burning all around them, the state losing population yearly, some "leaders" simply don't give a shit, as they are populists playing to the ignorant with one goal in mind...election. Reeves is a small minded, self absorbed small fry, manipulated by a few handlers (Parks McNabb and Rebekah Staples, and panders (read no leadership) like a Bill Clinton clone.

Tate Reeves lives in a gated Rankin County subdivision, and pays a CID fund every month. Can you spell HOA fees. He, however, has no choice. This initiative, is voted on and approved and spent by a super majority of the assessment payers. He alone is killing this effort, not because of any real opposition, but because he is terrified of being branded a "tax increaser" and not having the balls to lead. What a loser.

Nice comparison 8:47, but your comparison fails the smell test. Reeves chose, when he built/bought his house to pay those HIS fees. He knew it at the beginning and was agreeable to writing the check.

With the bill a few rich Easter /CCJ homeowners want to push through, folks in many neighborhoods can be subjected to an additional tax that they did not agree to. Yes, a majority (60%) of the neighborhood may agree, just likeep is claimed was done when Belhaven was made a 'historic district' - although some of us never saw a ballot to cast our vote.

To compare Reeves, or anyone else who entered into their property ownership with eyes wide open to a limited few who want to impose an additional new tax on themselves and others, doesn't pass the smell test for a political pot shot.

Thank you Tate, if in fact it is you alone (which I recognize that it is not, but that really doesn't matter) from caving to these that want to increase taxes to cover Jackson's inept division of its 65 mils currently assessed.

This is horrible news. I just signed two leases on my properties in Northeast Jackson. If I would have known about this, I would have increased the rent so that I wouldn't be effected. Luckily, I can just reduce expenses on upkeeping the properties, and it won't effect me in the near term. Stinks for the neighbors though.

7:33 a CID tax doesn't preclude future Jackson tax increases. You'll see both.

Our legislature is a joke. They cannot produce a budget. Grown men and women cannot find a compromise to fund our state's services. And we are guilty of not giving a shit. We are too busy trying to come up with a cute post on KF's story of some girl's stinky gas situation. Sad.

Left out of this proposal by those wanting to increase their neighbors taxes is the fact that they could if they so chose, repave their neighborhood streets now. If Ben (for example) wanted to get together with the other residents on his Easter street, they could provide the funding directly to have it repaved, without the imposition of a tax on everybody in Eastover.

But no - let's make everybody pay into the kitty and the few, self appointed, neighborhood association czars decide how and where to spend it. Ever try to get added to your neighborhood association board? Think about how much harder that closed society will become once they get to collect and disburse thousands of dollars taken from others by demand rather than by choice.

9:17 why are broke and formerly broke ass cities all across the country adopting CID's.Are they all wrong, and one again, we are "right" There IS a reason we are last in all things good. SMDH.

9:17 why are broke and formerly broke ass cities all across the country adopting CID's.Are they all wrong, and one again, we are "right" There IS a reason we are last in all things good. SMDH.

EXACT SAME weak-assed BS used to shout down others while pulling a Con job on voters to support our, as PREDICTED, freaking RED-INK GULPING convention center.

How do you shake your damn head when it is buried in a hole in the ground? LMAO

Where are Walter Michel & Bill Denny on this thread? Quit worrying bout Tate’s staff... isn’t it NEJAX legislators jobs to get this stuff done?

The day has come and gone when mentioning the name 'Leland Speed' helped an idea gain traction. The last time he was relevant was, like, ummm, 2001 when he worked for a dollar a year. And what was accomplished then other than boosting Ben Allen into the limelight?

At least Ben could be creative and mention, maybe, Dizzy Dean or Wilhelm 'Can't We Just Be Civil' Winter.

"9:17 why are broke and formerly broke ass cities all across the country adopting CID's."

So, they are the cities that are going to tax themselves into prosperity? Name a few, please.

@9:17,
What cities specifically are you referring? I think it's a great idea. Atlanta has tons of these and black leaders are upset at them as they have turned the city white they call it gentrification as has Washington D.C. Detroit is starting to see a boom again. There are a lot of huge big money families in that city that have poured money into redevelopment and it's working. Jackson is a city of the halves and the have nots... all the NE Jackson private school families pay the tax bill and employ loads of people from the burbs and city alike. I think they should have a CID.

Seems like if it had “unanimous support” from the Jackson legislators, then they’d be the ones organizing this publicity stunt. Someone take a picture of it so we can see how many of the “unanimous” Jackson legislators show up for this. Ben Allen. Ha! And Little Ben is trying to be a judge. You Jacksonians really don’t appreciate how bad you’ve got it!

Forced to pay for beautification of medians, intersections and freeway off ramps? Oh, I think not and will fight hard against this unreasonable sort of taxation!!!

Detroit is improving because it filed BANKRUPTCY.
Jackson won't until it does also.

Well, I'm certain that NE Jackson residents will not mind this and welcome it quite frankly. I'm all reality they have the beach houses on the gulf as a second home or a plush condo I Oxford for the weekend. Oh, let's not forget the Northeast Jackson family that owns the $21 million dollar Martha's vineyard beach house he rents to Obama and the Bush family. These people are pushing this CID... too much money and not enough sense.

Kingfish reports on a staggering crowd supporting CIDs. WOW.

Make the tax in a CID voluntary and I'd be for it. Those in the neighborhood who want to tax themselves and pay the taxes can; those that don't want to don't have to. But if you're looking to make your neighbors pay more taxes just because you can afford it, I'm not for that.

8:06 "..to pay for beautification of medians, intersections and freeway off ramps"

Problem is locals throw all their trash out along these -- effectively negating any "beautification". It's lipstick on a pig.

Thanks, @11:18. That crowd of supporters is... modestly sized. And it appears to be lacking any Jackson legislators. I'd have hoped to see at least one or two given their "unanimous support" as claimed by Ben Allen.

Word is legislators were advised by the homeowners NOT to come....TATE is so vindictive he might put them on the "Richard Nixonish" enemies list he has on his office wall....right now.

Great timing, Ben. The legislature is going to adjourn today or tomorrow. The Senate Finance Committee has not been scheduled to meet this week. In order to get your tax increase approved, it would have to come out of the Senate Committee, pass the Senate, go through a House Committee and then pass the House. All without any changes. All within the next 24 hours.

This dog and pony show is obviously just that - if there was a real intent of trying to get the legislature to act, this show of force (or lack of force) should have been done two weeks ago.

Legislators"advised" by the homeowners, over what Tate would do? That's the best laugh I've had on this site in a week. No, a month.

If there were such a list, or a concept, don't you think the legislators would know about it moreso than the homeowners? How ignorant of the structure are you to think that the members of the House - where the majority of the Jackson members serve - really care what the Lt. Gov. might think? Just how naive do you think the readers of this site really are, as you try to make up a reason for the ridiculous lack of showing for this 'rally'.

The legislature is in session. Votes are going on regularly. Legislators are not walking out to participate in a rally for an issue that is already dead for the session, such that there presence would double the total 'crowd'.

This is whole state is enamored with taxes. Can't get enough of them. But I guess when the only industry is payday loans, pawn shops, liquor stores and governmental graft this is what you get.

@ 9:15, I live in northeast Jackson and I own 12 payday loan stores in Mississippi. Mainly the areas of central Mississippi, Yazoo city, Vicksburg, the delta and Simpson county as well as 1 in canton. What drives me crazy is my neighbors I'm sure look down on me for my business but they never seem to have any better solutions. The statement you made implied it was a scummy business. Maybe you should loan your money to the poor a few weeks on a unsecured loan. Then they wouldn't need me. At least mine are unsecured as opposed to the banks and they charge even higher rates.

@7:04...no implication needed. You make it sound like we should nominate you for Sainthood. Congratulations on living in NE Jackson by the way.

I’m going to venture a wild guess that people on these posts that bitch and moan about Jackson / CID don’t ever DO anything about the challenges we have? Perhaps you should consider spending less time opining and actually DO something instead of giving the collective finger to those that give a rip.
It’s spring time; make yourself useful & go pull weeds out of the sidewalk on Ridgewood Road.
You will feel better about yourself and the place you call home.

Funny to watch Nextdoor bully Tom Head try to muscle Pete Perry about CIDs. Head wants CIDs that mandate govt taking 25% of a rich white neighborhood's self-taxation for redistribution to other poor black neighborhoods in Jackson. Do you even own a house Head?

Tom is a total and complete idiot!!! He's a bully for sure... the guy has no tolerance for anyone he disagrees with and he's in favor of giving others money away as opposed to his own. He's a true socialist. Guess what Tom... Jackson already distributes white rich neighborhoods money away... it's called spending taxes from northeast Jackson and using it for South or west Jackson. Your one retarded fool.