Jackson Jambalaya

Kudos to Lumumba for finding a way to give the city employees a raise even though times are lean.

Yes, just what the tax payers want there hard earned taxes to go towards. Government workers getting a raise. Kudos my ass... your likely not a tax payer. If you are then your either young or a total dumbass.

only one way to fix an old bond issue. new bond issue!

A CL article this morning said the City will have a 63% collection rate of owed water bills this fiscal year. Out of an anticipated 71 million in potential water bills, the City will only collect 45 million, a loss of 26 million dollars which should otherwise be collected. 26 million not collected in one year !!! Think of the good 26 million could do for the City. What the hell is going on ? Haven't they been trying to fix the billing system for 2-3 years now ? Obviously the City hasn't
been able to and/or can't fix the problem, so bring someone in who can. Is this the City's fault or Siemen's ? If Siemen's, then it should be required to pay to the loss it has caused.

1:26, you are a prime example of someone spouting off when knowing only a percentage of the information - read one statistic without listening/reading the entire chapter.

For the next fiscal year, it is anticipated that the city will only collect 63% of the outstanding water/sewer bills. Continue on - BECAUSE the city has provided a payment plan for those that didn't receive a bill for a number of months. And also a payment plan for those that did receive a bill but for whatever reason did not pay that bill. The first plan would be based on the number of months not billed being the length of the payment plan (i.e. didn't receive a bill for nine months, owe $1,000 for those nine months - you will be required to pay $111 <$1,000 divided by 9> plus your monthly usage each month. If you haven't paid your bill due to the city's policy of not cutting off delinquent bills you will be required to pay any past due amounts in 6 equal installments of the past due.

Because of this payment plan policy, the collection rate for the next fiscal year will be as projected; but by the following year all the past due accounts will have been collected (or the accounts disconnected) and the collection rate will be what's expected.

So, get past the one fact you focused on and read the rest of the story to find your answers. It makes life much more enjoyable because it gives you less to bitch about.

2:02 PM Thanks Mayor

Thanks for your pontification 2:02, but 1:26 was still right. This fiscal year the city will still only collect 63% of what is owed or only 45,000,000 of the 71,000,000 actually owed. Payment plans or not, the city will still get 26,000,000 less than owed just as was stated and as even you admitted in your post. But thanks for playing.

That is some awesome news. Get a raise when government is failing. Makes sense.

3:24, correct. But in the following fiscal year, the totals, the percentages, and all get back to being the normal 97.5%.

Rome wasn't built in a day; and when Rome (in this case, Jackson) spent a few years f**king itself up - with the stupid non-management of the water/sewer department - it aint getting fixed in one fiscal year. Might could have been, but they took too lax an approach to fixing the mess.

I don't disagree - idiotic to be in this mess. But at least it appears that the PW Director has a plan and a method to get out of it. If - big time if - the Mayor and City Council stay out of his way and allow him to implement it.

You cant make this up !!!!!
Purchased 40 police cars - Approx $1million +
No money from the Govt Yet - Zip - On The
Hook Again $$$ - When will it come ?
He Says - We want Jax to stand Out
Would all the Dumb Asses Please raise
Their Hands” _ 100 % Must Stand
Standout Stupidity - Fire Their Asses
Not through Yet .... yep
Next - Go Cart & NASCAR Coming to South
Jackson - Who will Pay for it
It’s Coming - $ANTA CLAU$E -
Use The Zoo - Why Not “
Vvvrrrooom 🏎🚔🏎🚔🦓🐅🦏🐘🦍
🙈🙉🙊

It appears to be very illogical,inefficient and short sighted by the mayor and the city managers on how they prioritize the resurfacing of its streets. Two of the most important variables should be not only the condition of the street but also the traffic census of each street under consideration. There are many through affairs that have hundreds of cars traveling on them every day that are in drastic need. These include but are not limited to Old Canton Road from Duling to Meadowbrook and from Canton Mart to County Line Road, Northside Drive from I-55 to North State Street, Meadowbook from I-55 to Northview to name a few. The city should also take into account that the through affairs will have a much greater impact for business development. These busier streets should be at the top of the hierarchy of the expenditure of tax payer dollars. This makes much more sense the repaving a one block street or a dead end cul-de-sac.

I look on my home city with shame every night listening t the news, Our city streets are falling apart and the city buys new "fancy" police cars. We have daily water breaks in the system and the city wants to sponsor a NASCAR track. The city zoo is on it's last legs of existence and the question is not how to make it a success but how to put new paint on a building about to collapse. BTW how has the convention center panned out? Each day I can only shake my head in disgust and continue to look for a home outside "the bOLD (not)new City." Maybe it is time to call U S Grant and burn it down again.

BTW, why are we repaving some streets that are four-lane when there isn't enough traffic for two (Meadowbrook as a prime example, or Northside Dr from I-220 to Clinton line)? Those areas should be milled up and the outside lanes recycled as new pavement for the remaining two lanes.

@1016...HaHaHa! You must’ve just moved here?

If C-L reporting is correct Lumumba's proposed budget CUTS the JPD budget. He's already decimated the officer corps.

For 10:16 and others, the reason they are tackling neighborhood streets and not "thoroughfares" is that major streets like Meadowbrook and Northside with 4 to 5 lanes carry heavy traffic and should be rehabilitated, which is too expensive for the City without federal financial assistance thru MDOT, as opposed to local streets with low traffic that can be patched and overlaid. Local funds, in this case from the county, should cover those neighborhood streets.

Thank you 7:58 am for saving me time. You are correct.

Also, thanks to 2:02 pm. It's obvious from the comments after 2:02 pm that people comment , not only after not reading the article, but don't even read prior comments.

If someone decides to stay ignorant, it's because they are lazy or stupid.

As for me, I have seen a huge change for the better in dealing with the water/sewer folks. This administration deserves a lot of credit. This was a difficult task and a mess when Lumumba came on board . Not only is the efficiency and access to accurate information improved, but those serving the customers are clearly better trained, pleasant and thus helpful in addressing concerns. We were able, fortunately to pay the " big bill" but understand that others may not be as fortunate. I now have a credit as progress is has been made getting the data into the new system. My bills are now consistence with my long usage history.

Yeah, right... the folks that owe $26mil will payback over time... They'll be lucky to get 10-25% of that.

Don’t you love it when people don’t get a bill for 3-4 years finally get one for 4-5k, and start screaming “this can’t be right... i’m not paying this”? Typical!!!!! News flash pilfer - many of us were unlucky and got bills all along, and I’ve paid well over that amount. Do you part and pay your entire bill. Yeah right...forgot, we’re in Jackson. Those bills will be eventually forgiven. I can already see the headline: “Amnesty period for those who have outstanding bills”. Typical Jackson socialist BS!

I got the new meter in July 2-3 years ago, whenever it was. I was then estimated billed through about February of the following year. I then was billed, in February, for all usage from July until then (because they read the meter and charged me from 0 usage, though I had been being charged based on an estimate).

So, I was charged a huge sum PLUS was charged and overage fee. They then started estimating again, so I was paying higher charges based on a false estimate AND paying overage fees.

@5:49 if they aren't going to prosecute the 3000+ straight pipers discovered stealing water during the meter conversion there is no way they are going collect on those bills. Should BabyChok find the resolve to get tough on bill collection it will only be for select overdue cases in the white neighborhoods.

Is the Mayor seriously proposing to reduce the funding to maintenance of infrastructure?