Jackson Jambalaya

Ted is just a politician.

Just read who voted against this bill and remember next time you vote. This was disparaging for Ted Heflin to even consider passing this. Discrimination that is now covered under all state, city & county governments and prohibits such abuse to be considered. Billing is simple, pay as you go for what you have used. The bills that were never billed with uncollected fees can be picked up by all of the Legislators who think this is fair, Blount, Simmons, Blackmon etc. Let them pony up as no one else can afford to!

Great move on the part of "my" Senator! Glad to see him join ranks with the rest of his similarly minded collegues, despite the fact that this screws his voting constitutency --- including me.

However, because of the reasonableness of the 36 intelligent and reasonable senators - David's joining ranks against us doesn't matter.

Why would any free market American vote against this? The "home value" billing system is embarrassing on its face. "You people are so stupid you can't even bill for water like every other city in the country." Blush.

My name is Karl Marx and I oppose this legislation.

Sorry Wyatt -- your beloved solution is biting the dust, as it should. The idea that Jackson can't bill (and collect) for water is ridiculous and is no justification for supporting Henifin's Water Alliance social equity infrastructure plan.

But, you did keep your NE Jackson Senator Blount in line with him tring to stop this foolishness you promoted in the Sun's editorial last week.

I agree with this ban. It is unfair to try to determine billing based on income and/or property value. It is much more equitable and fair to assess water billing based on skin color. The whiter you are, the more you pay. That is something that can be measured fairly amd easily on a color scale.

100% dumbass in these comments and on that bill. No one has taken a minute to learn the details of this. It’s not even close to communistic or socialistic. The current system is. This caps the highest bill at something less than $200 and sets a floor for the lowest bill at around $50, with cutoff for nonpayment. The current system is based on willing and able people paying outrageous bills and others paying nothing. The metering system costs about 25% of the total cost of running the system and there is no prospect of making it functional in the foreseeable future. This valuation method of billing provides enough money to operate and maintain the system with full accountability for nonpayment and no one getting gouged. You’d have to be a complete fool to discard it out of hand so it’s not surprising that JJ commenters and the MS legislature are doing just that.

@ "Why would any free market American vote against this?"

Have you met the Left? They don't want a free market; they want you to support them.

Those senators want their constituents to ride free and the NE Jackson homeowners to pull the wagon.

Those senators want their constituents to ride free and the NE Jackson homeowners to pull the wagon.

I live in Blount's district. He can pander to woke Jackson democrats as much as he wants, but demographics are catching up to him. Soon he'll be the latest Jackson area white sent to the unemployment line solely because of his skin color.

For him to support this ridiculous and completely unsustainable fee scheme illustrates how we got in the shape we're in. No one cares how a policy will play out 10 or even 5 years from now. All they want is to win the next election -- even if it decimates the area.

I guess he's trying to out-Harvey Harvey Johnson. Loser.

Yankee, go home.

"Mr. Henifin, tear down this wall!"
MS: Of all places to propose a marxist water tax on property!

7:47. Answer me. 44% of Jackson properties are tax free. They get no property tax bills. Has ha delineated their rate structure? NO HE HASN'T. 49% of Jackson homes are rented. Has he delineated their payment structure? NO HE HASN'T. You gullible, stupid shit.

7:47. Brilliant? Do you have the inside numbers? $50 min bill $200 max bill? Those old ladies/men on fixed income don’t pay $50 now!!! And Ted has no idea how much money he needs to operate the system!

Here’s a novel idea. Hire 20 meter readers like they used to have. Pay them $50K and it’s still only $1M per year!!!

All Jackson water customers are equal, but some are more equal than others. - Water Czar Ted Marx (2023)

@ "This caps the highest bill at something less than $200."

So what if I use $10,000 worth of water?

"Equity" - currently one of the most abused words in the English language

"Justice" - running a close second to "equity"

Less than half of those you list as 'Jackson Delegation' are Jackson senators. Why not simply call them 'Black Delegation - Save One' and be accurate?

Hi, I'm a carpet bagging Yankee from Boston and I'm here to help.

Gotta love it when a plan comes together.

"Equity" Is woke-speak for "I am a racist and want more free stuff."

" there is no prospect of making it functional in the foreseeable future."

That is complete and total BS. I could put together a group of high school student who could have a billing system up and running within 3 months, max. Setting up a billing system isn't freaking hard; it's the lack of effort and will to do it by this incompetent Mayor.

The soft racism that white liberals encourage that in turn lowers the expectations from black leaders is disgusting, generally speaking.

But as the benefactors of the special treatment, this is the racism they like.

Not that THESE specific black leaders are competent. THESE definitely need help and are NOT capable of completing a kindergarten task that 8:30 correctly surmised...average High School kids could handle.

It's a shame that anyone would even float such a preposterous idea. I don't care how elaborately you craft your caper, when you go after other people's money that they otherwise do not owe...it's called stealing.

Ted is just taking money at this point. I'm afraid he's just a bureaucrat (I hope he proves me wrong). He needs to get somebody to revamp this billing system and office. It takes WORK and EFFORT. Let's get it. Is Ted trying to fix things, or is he just trying to coast on $400K while slapping a few bandaids on the problems?

Just heard Henifin speak. He's bound and determined for the property based billing. If he can't get that, he wants rates to go up 50% for meter reading.
He acts like this is a pittance.
Must be nice to make $400,000.

@ 7:47,
It is straight out of Karl Marx: You can Google his writings and find it quickly. From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/From_each_according_to_his_ability,_to_each_according_to_his_needs#:~:text=%22From%20each%20according%20to%20his,of%20goods%2C%20capital%20and%20services.

For the dummies supporting this legislation while having no idea the problem that has existed for years in Jackson- City of Jackson or the current water manager must collect water fees to pay for the total cost of providing water which includes cost of running the plants, maintenance, debt service & administrative cost. Water meters in Jackson are unreliable, many properties don’t have meters, many have been engineered to bypass the meter & the water department doesn’t have trained staff & competent systems to accurately send out correct bills- and then there are many living at poverty level unable to pay over $50 a month for water. So the current Federal Manager of the Water System has wisely determined a workable system as is his responsibility. Billing based on property value is workable & provides the cash flow necessary to maintain the system in Jackson. And the manager supported by EPA, the Justice Dept. & the Federal Judiciary can override this ill-timed legislation proposed by the yahoos in the state senate.

12:54 having a “need” does not make stealing right. The water manager having a “responsibility” does not give him license to take money that people do not owe. Stop looking for shortcuts. Get your house in order and bill customers for whatever water they use - not based on who they are or what they own.

And the manager supported by EPA, the Justice Dept. & the Federal Judiciary can override this ill-timed legislation proposed by the yahoos in the state senate.

Nope.

12:54: Let's see what the "Federal Judiciary" has to say about this, and how it squares with the Constitutional right to Equal Protection under the law.

Forcing people to pay more for the same service, just because they have more money, is what this proposal looks like to me. It's basically converting a usage fee into an ad valorem tax on homestead property. It's a quick-fix to an institutional management problem, and it will not stand.

4:25 - the Jackson delegation is in bold. The rest are all no votes.

Years of inability to measure water use and collect payments by overpaid officials does not create a valid reason for high value property owners to suddenly fix the mess.
No matter how many excuses or buzzwords you use.
Use the federal dollars to install working meters, and bill accordingly.
Fire anyone that fails to preform this simple job.
Cut the water off for non pay.

Stop clouding the simple problem with other people money.
You are already getting Federal dollars. Fix your mess!

There WAS novel system in the not too distant past. The meters were READ by a person, and u were billed for the amount u used.
Ted is an "expert" and there are too many experts.

@12:54 PM - Rukia, thanks for checking in, loser.

@ 12:36 pm The current system is Marxist. Ability to pay is currently the only basis for billing. We’re not reliably measuring usage. Anyone with needs is getting a completely free ride. I guess you’re no better at reading than math.

If this scheme were to become a reality in Jackson, would it not be presumptuous to think that a lineup of other communities throughout the state would immediately follow suit?

@12:54 I will give you another workable solution that evidently has escaped Mr. Henifin:

The untrained employees should be trained or terminated. Lazy employees should be terminated immediately. Get a good staff that wants to work and achieve, and implement a meter system. Read those meters monthly. Send a monthly bill. Collect said monthly bill. Cut off the service of those that don't pay. If any property is bypassing the meter, charge a tampering fee and press criminal charges if necessary. That is a solution that has worked splendidly other places. Call those other places and ask them how they do it if you can't understand it.

No water equity, no peace!

What do we want? Water Equity!

When do we want it? Now!

I had a friend who had free water for about 5 years in Jackson. Finally, a water bill appeared and it was for one month or about $35.00.

2:52 You are correct on all counts. Free water for 5 years is a flat out sign on an Incompetent Mayor Chokwe! The fact that someone or anyone received free water for 5 years is Exactly why Governor Reeves helped fix the issues within a short time and then did what the COJ Mayor demanded & turned it all back over to the COJ. The rest of the state is sick & tired of hearing about it. Grown up form a plan, implement the plan & move on!

It is a good, and fair plan, comrade. You Americans are finally coming around to see things as we do it in mother Russia.

12:42 - while part of what you say is correct (billing office not competent, some folks bypassing meters, etc.) the system has run for decades with adequate money to produce water, maintain the system, etc WHEN THE CITY CUT OFF WATER FOR NON-PAYMENT>

When the city, in 2016, instituted a moritorium on cutoffs for non-payment, tens of thousands of the 55,000 customers quit paying. Unlike their electric bill, or their gas bill, or their cell phone bills - all of which would get cutoff if they didn't pay them, the city said "no problem". You are still expected to pay, but we're not going to make you.

The moritorium, that continued for six years, financially broke a system that was operating fine up until that point.

Henifin's job is to fix the system - that includes fixing the billing system.

Other cities can do this - cities as small as Shuqualak or Tutwiler, and as large as NYC, Philadelphia, Chicago. Why is Jackson the only city in the country out of 15,000 cities, that cannot bill for their utilities and collect the bill?

It could be fixed - Henifin doesn't want to fix it. He wants to institute this Water Alliance plan that the Alliance has been promoting as part of the "Equity Infrastructure" program of this administration and thinks he has found a place to do it

To say that the rates will run between $50 and $200 a month is ridiculous. My bill today for water is less than $3/month. It has been that for years. While my home is paid for, and relatively high taxed, even if I got the minimum bill under Henifin's plan, my water bill for minimum useage would increase astronomically; one month under his plan would be more than one year under the current system - because I use very little water at my house.

Bring in a competent contractor and have them implement a billing system. Entergy can do this. Atmos can do this. Flowood can do this. Why can Jackson not? We have paid $10 million over the past year to install new software for the billing system, and it works - if you put people there that were competent, and the city wanted to collect the bills.

Teddy Henifin is a ringer. Have you ever wondered why Chowke didn't scream like a stuck pig when Henefin's appointment was first announced? It's likely because Henifin has been Chowke's boy since day one and charged with implementing Chowke's Marxist wet dreams.

What is a “Marxist wet dream?” Seems to be mixing metaphors.

Demand fool proof pesticide from your Legislators to quash Henifin's Central Planning perfidy. Demand an outright ban on property based water rates as state law. Regardless of his power, it is based on failed consent decrees between the city and EPA, to which the State was not a party.

Send your Legislators thank you emails if they are already acting in your behalf.

Note: Henifin's leftist plan is not a water fee: it is a property tax and he is not empowered to levy a tax.

The "cap" business is a worm on a hook, if you accept the bait, he or his successor could simply change the cap from $200 to $400 because you have accepted his "system".

There will be no incentive for citizens to get water leaks fixed or running toilets fixed. Actually, I would think the EPA would oppose this plan, if they took the politics out of it. So much water will be wasted.

Didn’t Jackson receive a big lawsuit settlement of $100 million for the metering system? Where is that money?

Seems a very lazy, shallow and futile idea from a supposed water guru, but it'll get him an easy payday, he'll kick some back to ladumbass, then he'll skate away with nothing otherwise accomplished.

Maybe we should pay for our subscriptions to the Northside Sun according to property values of subscribers - with a cap for all at 1.00 per subscription per year… and I don’t plan to subscribe again….or vote for the incumbents

Geez, doesn't anybody bother to read a " proposal" before weighting in on it or learn ANYTHING about how the system currently works?

Nor would any of you consider how to make a proposal better.

Surely, you geniuses know that water usage is related to the number of people in the residence and whether or not there are leaking pipes.
When it comes to rental property, owners could be restricted to number of renters( there is a rational estimate range) in terms of how much of the bill the renter or the owner is responsible for paying.

But, no... some of you can't imagine that a renter could have leaking pipes and the owner won't needed make repairs.

Nor can imagine a plan to help aging owners on limited incomes who can't afford to make repairs, envision a plan that could make repairs a part of the process where some of the payment can be deferred if repairs are done.
For God sake's, shut up if you 1) like any common sense 2) haven't a clue how a water system actually works, or are too lazy to find out before you open your mouth. I'm including our " elected" legislature in this!
Try thinking outside your narrow,tiny boxes!

If this joke is allowed to come true there will be a lot of new businesses popping up around Jackson. Just imagine how many new car washes will suddenly open up. All of the water you could hope to use for $50 a month. A carwash in every yard. Wonder what all of the free water will do to the sewer system.

So, WLBT announced this morning that Henefin is full-steam ahead with his plan to bill customers based on property value this morning.

Clearly he does not see this bill as a threat to his goal.