Jackson Jambalaya

Wyatt Emmerich has about as much influence as Adam Ganucheau. Meaning NONE

I’m not happy about the idea of basing a water bill on assessed value and not actual usage. Why have a water meter then? But, as an example, what if mine and my neighbors home have almost the same value? My neighbor continually waters his yard in the evening during a rain event, and to top it off, he will water again the following morning (after receiving 1”+ rainfall)! I do my best to conserve water by using efficiency appliances, fast showers, and turning my irrigation off, allowing Mother Nature to water my lawn….why should my bill be remotely close to the same as my wasteful neighbor?

Perhaps they could also apply this bill to vehicle tag costs??

I hope they can stop this. I've lived here all of my life and can't afford to keep paying more and more to live here.
I live alone and pay $60. I can live with that. But no more. I'm stretched to my limits.
I'm retired and am sick of politicians who make more money than I've ever seen telling me to shell out more and more money.
And Wyatt is not broke and on a limited income. He has no clue what it is like. He needs to stay out of it.

I can't wait for some mental giant to say, this is a racist bill, authored by a white supremacist.

Bring back car inspections, that ought to cover the costs. As many detail shops operate in the city the water department would be cash flush.

Really stupid idea to charge based on property values. There is no incentive to conserve water. Leaks don’t get fixed and running toilets are allowed to run 24/7 forever. I would be surprised if the EPA allowed it, or DEQ.

@11:25
I’m pretty sure Kingfish is censoring those now.

Carpet bagger Third String Ted is fixin' to get bitch slapped.

I don't see the problem, if a property is worth more you should pay more. Its like taxes, I make more than my neighbor so I pay more.

How will this affect the Brandon Amphitheater? It was funded with bonds that are paid with fees added to Brandon's water ratepayers bills.

There are a few water utilities in the area that have some "flat rate" bills. I don't think it is illegal. It's not necessarily common, but it happens for various reasons. I might possibly get on board with Henifin if he did a flat rate (example - everybody pays $100). But that is not what he is doing. He is proposing a flat rate based upon value of property. So someone using 3000 gallons monthly might actually pay 3 times the monthly bill of someone using 10,000 gallons. This is nothing but liberal wealth confiscation.

Henifin needs to do his job and focus on fixing the problem. I might would propose a 3 year flat rate (everbody pays the same) until such time that we could get the meters and billing system up and running smoothly. But everybody would pay the same regardless of house size. And it would have a termination date.

If Henifin's idea passes, it will never be changed or reversed. It's socialism and it's dangerous.

11:10, pay attention. The "rate" you pay for your usage is based on your homes value then multiplied by the water usage. If you use 1000 gallons in a $500k home, vs someone using 1000 gallons in a $50k home, you pay a higher rate per gallon. Still charged on the usage, just a different rate.

I know 11:25 is being facetious.
But they will.
Expect CNN to explain how this is racist, any minute now.

[Theory:W.E. of NS Sun has a woke bloke son whom W.E. wants to take the Sun legacy forward, so W.E., in his dotage, veers left in his opinions to make the paper attractive to his son.]

Henifin's rate scheme is a tax and he cannot legally raise property taxes. The Legislature, with the Governor's support, should stomp this marxist crap right back into the mouths whence it spewed.

The property value-based bills could be an opportunity for the entrepreneurial individual. If everyone is getting a rate irrespective of usage, then one could simply use as much water as their heart desires! Fill up ten swimming pools a day for all I care!

Run those sprinklers 24/7 and fill up commercial water trucks; free the water!

Why does the Mississippi Legislature do the same for property taxes. Aren't they calculated by the value of the house?

This is big gub'mint at its finest. If the people who live in Jxn, want this (they elected the leaders who back it) how is it the State's business to get involved? If some Jxn residents don't like it, they can move, the majority are for it.

As others have sorta stated, what would stop someone from buying 15 water trucks, topping them off with Jackson water, then selling it to people out in the county to fill up swimming pools, farmers, etc. Answer, absolutely nothing. Just a really poor attempt to make makers further subsidize takers

@12:56 Who do you think has been keeping the Jackson water system running? The state has. And the feds also. If Jackson is going to get the state's money, assistance, etc., then the state can make some laws about the water system. If Jackson is willing to run the system with zero state funds, then I agree the state should stay out of it. You are basically telling me that I can't give my 17 year old a curfew despite them living in my house and eating my food, while I pay for their car, health insurance, etc.

@12:16pm
The Henifin proposed water rate is a tax on property value: he cannot legally raise property tax.

I like billing rental property owners for metered water, then the bills will either get paid or the owner will suffer a lien. Let the owners collect from their tenants as they wish.

@12:56 I'm so sick of people saying to just move. Our property value is crap in Jackson. I had sold my 2,000 square ft house and only got $200,000 for it. A house that's 1400 square ft is around $250000 in Clinton, Florence, Flowood and Brandon. I'm retired, my house is paid for and I can't afford to move.
It's not that simple for most of us.

Marxism?

Y’all need lessons in history - critically

This is Ted just being lazy and not wanting to do the hard work to fix the billing system imo. I really can't say I blame him for wanting to take the easy way out regarding the billing system considering what all else he has to get fixed. Could you imagine having to train the current water billing workers on another new system? It'd make you pull your hair out. Some of those workers can be helpful but a lot of them are there to draw a check and that is it.

If I lived in the city and this passes, I would never turn the spigot off.
Just let it run 24/7. Why not?

Flat rate billing based on home value, not usage!

Right 11:59?

Just like income taxes!

If it does pass, me and my extremely high tax dollars are moving to Madison Bye bey Jackson

12:56. Hahaha! I'll bet 'they' are!! Hahahaha!!

Attn 1:29PM. Maybe you should have worked harder?

People in Jackson don’t want this.. Thank you legislature.

“From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs”, a slogan made famous by Carl Marx. That's kind of some history, ain't it?

Everybody is doing his or her own best to destroy Jackson by forcing a new tax, and this is what this is, on people who cannot afford it. I don't want to pay for water I'm not using.

@1:31pm - Naw, I just like calling things I don’t like “Marxism” or “Socialism”

It’s easy that way, and I like things to be simple and easy, like my brain.

So Jackson, which can't properly bill for water usage right now, wants to add in another calculation for water billing purposes. This will go well.

1:29 They are telling you to just move and end up house poor like them. Most of the people in the bedroom communities cannot afford to live out there.

Jackson woke leftist: y’all vote for socialist shit every election cycle, y’all deserve to pay for everyone’s water. I hope y’all go broke paying for it too! Don’t move to Madison! We don’t want y’all’s broke brain lack if critical thoughts up here!

@2:02pm - So THIS is the straw that broke the camel’s back?

lol ok

Two good pieces of legislation presented from Shanda lately.

"If I lived in the city and this passes, I would never turn the spigot off.
Just let it run 24/7. Why not?"

Supposedly, the new meters have the ability to detect a leak. Now, if they show up and you are just letting a water hose run 24/7, I'm not sure what they could do if anything.

January 17, 2023 at 1:29 PM

"@12:56 I'm so sick of people saying to just move. Our property value is crap in Jackson. I had sold my 2,000 square ft house and only got $200,000 for it. A house that's 1400 square ft is around $250000 in Clinton, Florence, Flowood and Brandon. I'm retired, my house is paid for and I can't afford to move.
It's not that simple for most of us."

And who's fault is that? I moved to the Jxn area in 1995 and even then knew not to buy in the city. We've all seen this coming for 30+ years, you had plenty of chances to leave. If you choose to live among cannibals, don't be surprised to find yourself in the boiling pot. You brought this on yourself.

@1:29 PM - you numbers are exaggerated. My granddaughter just bought a nicely renovated 1,800 SF 4/2 home on an acre in a nice area in the city of Clinton for $220,000.

I am happy to see this. Good for the legislators who support and vote for these bills.
1) Retired people who have worked their entire lives and paid off their homes, now living on fixed income should not be forced to choose between an exaggerated water bill and their basic supplies.
2) Pay for what you use.
3) If you don't get a bill, go to the water dept and get one. Do not wait. That's what I've done. Write it on your calendar every month end. Water bill received? If no, go get it and pay it.
4) My sympathies to the businesses who have been affected by covid, etc. and I hope you can pull through. However, it is not right to steal from the citizens to make up for the loss (you pay incredibly lower bills while citizens have their bills increased to cover that loss of income).

Expect certain businesses to pull out all the stops to kill these bills.

What the legislators need to remember when pressured: do the businesses vote or do all the citizens vote. If you vote against this bill, I vote against you.

I would be curious as to what overrides what...federal court gave him 100 power, where does state law stand regarding that.

So what happens next? You have to have debit card that knows your income and value of your property and the charge you pay for a gallon of milk or gas will vary depending on your wealth. Upper middle income guy pays $10 for a gallon of milk and unemployed guy who lives with parents pays 30 cents. How long you think that will last . He who owns the gold and lead makes the rules.

Mardi Gras and Parts Unknown?

My apartment in Honolulu and San Juan had flat rate water billing. It is nice for a set up like that, but for a house it should be based off of usage.

Wyatt Emmerich has lost his ph*cking mind.

Uh how about fix the current billing system? I mean really, how hard can it be. Maybe go to an excel file or simple database file that a teenager can code for you.

@3:44 You say that federal court gave Henifin 100% power.

I'm guessing that maybe he couldn't do anything that violates state law. I'm also guessing that someone could challenge Henifin's proposal in the court system based upon discrimination. Just my guess. Not really sure.

Thank you Sir Fish. This blog and your straight forward analysis keeps me informed infinitely better than local news. I may contribute to your blog this year.

Help me out here. I thought, based upon his editorials, that Wyatt Emmerich is a libertarian-minded person. He supports water bills based on property value? This is very surprising to me, if fact.

The quickest way to end this foolishness is to let them do as they please and allow them to feel the full weight of their actions' consequences.

1:20. You like??

So renters could get their friends who have "15 water trucks, topping them off with Jackson water, then selling it to people out in the county to fill up swimming pools, farmers, etc." ...or... wash all the friends and families rides n rims... and the property owner would get stuck with bill? ..and lien?

How bout bill the renters & if they don't pay their bill, their METER gets turned off. Pretty easy... and water wouldn't be wasted.

Wyatt agreeing to let this idiot Mayor off the hook right after he runs an editorial demanding he resign. SMDH. Very disappointed in him and can't understand his thinking..

@6:20 Here's a link to what Wyatt said
https://www.northsidesun.com/columns-local-content-opinion-state/opinion-henfins-solutions-solve-water-crisis-are-right

Remember the business are for this because they use a ton of water and will be billed way less if Ted gets his way. More reason to go to Madison and Rankin to eat now. Jackson resident

I've been arguing with GOP leaders for years about "user pays" being the fairest taxation system. And yet we continue to fund road and bridge maintenance with ad valorem taxes. Every county in this state gets the majority of its funding from ad valorem taxes. That means tax collected based on the value of your taxable personal property (car tags) and the value of your real property. That is how counties pay to pave your roads and fix your bridges. It has nothing to do with who uses them the most, but instead is based on the value of your car and house.

So...why all the howling now?

8:21, et al: because utility payments are not privilege taxes, and they’re not luxury taxes either. Utilities are based on usage, unlike taxes. Can you imagine if all of your utilities—gas, electricity, water, sewer—were based on property value? It would be incredibly onerous to people like the commenters above whose houses are paid off and who live on fixed incomes.

In addressing the water fees to be charged, Henifin is addressing an issue that is NOT the problem in Jackson. Maintenance and supplying clean water is Issue #1, and then collecting the water bills sent out is Issue #2. If the City simply collected the water bills as presently charged that it should have been sending out and collecting the past 5 years, we wouldn't have a collection or compensation issue. Fix the system first, provide clean water, collect the bills owed, and then and only then should he even think about considering anew billing rate.

11:59, if your house is worth more than your neighbor, then you pay higher property taxes. If you earn more income than your neighbor, then you pay higher income taxes. But what if you don't use more water than your neighbor ? Should you still pay more ?

I understand if you eat more food than your neighbor, then you pay more for food. If you use more gas than your neighbor, then you spend more on gas. Those are good or commodities that you pay for based on usage. Water is the same. Water is not a tax like the property tax or income tax referenced above. Water is a good or commodity, and just like food or gas, you pay based on how much you use or consume. It's a consumption based fee that should be based off usage.

12:16, I understand how the water would be billed under this new system. But if I own a $500,000 house and use 1000 gallons of water, and my neighbor owns a $50,000 and also uses the same 1000 gallons of water, why am I paying more for my water than him/her ? We're using the same amount, so why do I have to pay more ? Just because my house is worth more doesn't mean my water should be more expensive. It's the same water my neighbor is using.

"I don't see the problem, if a property is worth more you should pay more. Its like taxes, I make more than my neighbor so I pay more."

So don't complaint if a plumber charges you more to fix the same leak under your sink as the guy on the other side of town, AutoZone charges you more for a battery once the clerk gets a look at your nice car, or Kroger ups the price on your groceries when you pay with a gold credit card.

@7:57

it's called soaking the rich

The fact that leaders in the city still don't realize that "soaking the rich" means "the rich (and everyone with a brain) will leave" just as me and everyone I know did years ago when the soaking began.

Sadly I think they do realize it, they just don't care.

They will get theirs and leave the impoverished idiots that supported them in the waterless rubble.

Karl Marx is smiling. Boston Ted is his boy.

The act of providing drinking water is a service, a service that in this present time is usually provided by a company that is regulated by some government agency. This service is considered a public utility.

As with all other services, in the United States, public, or private, these services are delivered for a fee. Clean drinking water isn't a right, it isn't a privilege, it IS a service.

Clean drinking water is in the same category as electricity, cell phone service, natural gas delivery, or any other number of services provided by companies throughout this great land. Public, or private these are services, they are not rights, or privileges.

The city of Jackson doesn't hold a monopoly on water production. The citizens can choose to provide their own water service.

More cradle to grave gubmint BS paid for by your hard working neighbors.

In the vicinity of Highland Village, a joint venture water well ought be drilled to benefit businesses in the area.

I just read the Emmerich editorial on this (thank you for sharing to the person who shared the link).

Although Emmerich correctly identifies the problems, he essentially assumes that only a property tax system will address these issues. Even if that is true, I do not think that the ends justify the means. But, I am pretty libertarian. I guess Emmerich views water as just another public good to be subject to some form of redistribution. This is not full on Marxism, but it certainly is redistributionist. It's all a matter of degree.

Why does Jackson need to bill on property taxes when it has $600MM coming from Washington. That money cannot be fixed to solve the meter and billing issues? What am I missing here?

6:50pm
Emmerich's leftist opinions, including pro-Medicaid expansion, including the marxist water billing, wouldn't exist if Jackson were safe and well educated, with properly maintained infrastructure and attractive to free enterprise which spreads prosperity.

But it's Emmerich's choice to promote marxist solutions for medical care and water, rather than editorialize in behalf of free market solutions and integrity of governance. His bolshevik opinions never work, look at Portland and Seattle, look at Caracas.

6:50. Upwards of $850,000,000.

Isn't this the type of system socialism is based on? The people that have more worth pay more to support those that have less. So in Jackson all of those folks that live in the less income areas (Stokesville) will pay a lot less for water (if they pay at all) and those in northeast Jackson will pay a lot more. You should pay for the water you use, period!

NSS has a poll up regarding this. Vote on it...https://www.northsidesun.com/

I like socialist water idea. I don’t work and think everyone else should pay for what I need.