Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba issued the following statement.
Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba and Director of Public Works, Robert Miller clarified several water billing issues during a press briefing Monday and introduced a ‘Customer Bill of Rights’ to ensure customers understand their options regarding their water bills.
As part of a consistent but compassionate approach to the collections process, the City of Jackson has pledged to work with customers to avoid disruption of water service and to use water shut-offs only as a last resort effort to collect on overdue water bills.
During Monday’s press briefing, Mayor Lumumba spoke to how important it is for the City to receive money owed from water bills which ultimately goes to fund critical infrastructure needs throughout Jackson.
“Not only for the daily needs of our water system, but when citizens talk about the need for roads to be paved, when they talk about the drainage and needing streets and creeks to drain properly— all of this depends on our enterprise system that pays for these concerns,” said Mayor Lumumba.
According to Director Miller, the Department of Public Works has drastically reduced the number of customers who have not received bills, from 23,000 customers to 3200. As billing accuracy continues to improve, he anticipates that the department will be fully caught up by October.
Although billing accuracy has improved, Director Miller said that the City still faces problems with water meters, staffing, and training, but the Public Works Department is currently working on correcting those issues.
Director Miller said, “We apologize for how these issues concerning our water billing system may have impacted you over the years, but I want to assure you that my team and I in the Public Works Department have been working tirelessly to fix our water billing-related problems, which have existed for years prior.”
A Customer Bill of Rights, which serves as part of the ongoing pledge to correct the billing system, was introduced during the press briefing which Mayor Lumumba signed and expressed his commitment towards the document.
“As we work to bring all of our water billing and collections efforts in line, we pledge to do everything in our power to work with you to ensure customers keep their water service on, so that we, the City, can collect what is due so that we can continue to fund the infrastructure improvements so needed across the City of Jackson.”, said Mayor Lumumba.
As the City continues to emphasize to customers that the funding collected from water bills goes toward improving the water and sewer system in addition to other infrastructure needs, Mayor Lumumba told reporters, “This is the administration asking for the shared sacrifice – that we sacrifice and do all that we can to ensure that we get you accurate bills and that the citizens hold each other accountable for paying their fair share so that we can do the work that we all want to see happen.”
21 comments:
A piece of paper won't fix these problems. This document is about optics, politics, and pulling the wool over the eyes of the ignorant sheeple.
The problem stems from pizz poor management, nepotism, incompetence, and lazy "entitled" employees.
Pay or cut their water off! They can take their cigarette money & pay the water bill. Poorer people have payed their water bill so these Democrat sucks can too. No more give aways. That's it. I'm moving outta Jackson. Don't want to support the Democrat sucks anymore. I'll give my house away to get out.
Incompetence abounds. Our business in Jackson has been receiving ESTIMATED bills for 3 years! Receive bills for $40 to $60 for months and then get a bill for $500! Water Dept employees tell us we have no options??? Unreal!
LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL
A pledge for a timely and accurate reading of your meter except when they don't. Twice in the last year my check was cashed and the monies were credited to an account other than my own by whomever is processing the payments in the Memphis, Tennessee black hole where we remit. I had to take time off work and go down to the Metro center to receive bad attitude just to get it fixed. Both times the staff immediately and reflexively doesn't believe you until you produce the damn cancelled check.
Don't see a pledge to cover that from our loser Mayor.
This very dumb. The only right a user of water has is to pay their bill on time. This is taking from those to pay to cover those who do not pay.
Remember that term, "shared sacrifice" which the mayor finally coined. It will become the operative phrase in a city without prosperity (except for government executives). It's all about po' folks, which will soon be everybody in Jackson.
Amazing how quickly the bold new city leadership will move when they FINALLY face real consequences to inaction. c.f, JMAA.
When Moody's aims the spotlight on your naked ass, you best be trying to find the fig leaves.
No one can explain the "payment plan" entry on my water bill and how long it will be there. I pay my bill when I get it and the last one was over $500 which did not seem correct at all. I don't want a payment plan. Just want to pay what I owe and no one can tell me. When they can't answer, they say they will call you back. Guess what, I have called numerous times and no one will call back. I don't have time to go to Metro Center. What do you do?
... by whomever is processing the payments in the Memphis, Tennessee black hole ...
First Detroit, now Memphis. WHY aren't the jobs handling these payments right here in Jackson? These jobs are obviously outsourced out of state. Do you know who the vendor is Kingfish?
Pretty sure it’s illegal to charge rates in excess of that required to operate the utility. Should
not be paying for street paving out of water/sewer fund.
1:59, It isn't that money from the utility was used to pave the streets. Just driving through Jackson should show you that. It is that money that might have been used for paving was used to keep the water on.
1:59 , most city Utilities make money on the water. What law would restrict what a city changes and cities have few regulations on their services unlike a private utility. People have the right select the city they want to live in and then vote for their leadership.
1:59, It is not illegal, by the way, for the utility to make money.
But, that's not the case in Jackson. I think the Honorable Hizzhoner was saying that if the water system was operating properly, it would not be draining money from the general or 1% funds that could then be used to pave streets or whatever else they chose to do.
It will be a few months after hell freezes over before the water/sewer department is solvent enough to cover its operating costs and maintenance/upgrade costs - so don't worry about them transferring any funds out of the system to pave streets.
3::24....I don’t know whether it was or wasn’t but sounds like that’s the plan going forward
“Not only for the daily needs of our water system, but when citizens talk about the need for roads to be paved, when they talk about the drainage and needing streets and creeks to drain properly— all of this depends on our enterprise system that pays for these concerns,” said Mayor Lumumba.
4:28...,Might want to check the definition of an enterprise fund.
I have said this before, NO ONE will ever have
their water turned off for non-payment, unless
you live in Belhaven, N/E Jackson or if you are
a business owner. Kenny Stokes will make sure
of that.
Perhaps some of you are offensive in your approach.
I had a large water bill and questioned the accuracy given my long term usage. I had gathered my information so as to be able to have an intelligent discussion.
The issue was quickly and easily resolved.
Some of you clearly do not understand that monthly water meter readings are no longer cost effective.
It is far more efficient to base a bill on a typical customer usage history and check for variation 3-4 times a year.
The longer the history, the more accurate the prediction.
If you want or need a monthly reading, ask when best to take it and learn to do it yourself. Do the math on costs per cubic feet . If you can't do the math, ask a friend who can.
Grow up and learn how a system works before you have a hissy fit. Then, if you are knowledgeable and polite, any suggestions you have for system improvement or resolution of a problem will have a chance of being well received.
Some of you clearly do not understand that monthly water meter readings are no longer cost effective.
Pre-Siemens we had bi-monthly readings. Your harangue is so tiresome. Get a clue.
monthly water meter readings not effective?? tell that to the other 10,099 cities in the US that manage to do it right every month. Managing a water system and sending bills ain't exactly rocket science. But you do have to show up for work every day and profess a little common sense and honesty.
Y'all really think that a graduate of today's JPS can read a water meter?
The moronic apologists for Jackson's total dysfunction like 8:30 will say anything. Next thing you know the fools will be telling us that we should only expect water pressure every other day and garbage collection once or maybe twice a month.
This is what happens when you elect someone with no real world experience at anything beyond listening to his father and Republic of New Afrika insider cronies like Akuno (née Williams) spout their claptrap for a couple decades.
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