Jackson Water Receiver Ted Henifin's plan to base water bills on property values continued on a head-on collision with the Mississippi Legislature today after the State Senate passed a bill barring him from doing so. Mr. Henifin indicated at a federal hearing last month that he would sue to block such a bill from going into effect.
State Representative Shanda Yates (I-Highball Lanes) authored HB #698. The bill prohibits a city from using property values to determine water bills. The bill limited the determination of a customer's water bill to the actual usage and fees necessary to operate the system. The bill passed the House 83-26 as most of the Black Caucus voted against Yates' measure.
One might assume the bill's passage might be a slam-dunk in the Senate but such was not the case as concerns were raised about several flaws in the bills. Some feared the bill would outlaw the practice of charing a flat rate to water customers. Others feared it might prevent cities from requiring customers pay a minimum amount in the case of stranded bills.
The Senate Energy Committee amended the bill to address such issues. The amendment:
* Allows a city to charge an estimated bill based on the six months prior usage when a meter is faulty or unreadable.
* A city can charge a "flat fee rate" if it can't determine a bill based on usage.
* The municipality must determine an actual cost to operate the system. The city can not charge a fee that is less than the cost of providing water service.
The bill passed the Senate today. History & text of bill. Its next stop is a Conference Committee where six State Senators and Representatives will meet behind closed doors to draft a final version of the bill. Stay tuned.
28 comments:
Henifin, perhaps because his name is a chimera of chicken-fish, called Gumbo down here, refuses to recognize that a bureaucrat taxing property is unconstitutional and extra-constitutional unless legislated: no taxation without representation.
Today, Henifin arbitrarily sets $150 per residence and $600 per business as a max. If this marxist, discriminating, unlegislated piracy stands, this or another self-sanctified bureaucrat could issue a tax, on his own say-so, for a new arbitrary, unlegislated max of $250 & $750 or more, or charge water fees based on being white or Christian or smart or having a crime free record.
Contact and encourage Shanda Yates who took the initiative to stop the chicken-fish Henifin from arbitrarily taxing us to force his marxist agenda.
Give Yates credit, she is gutsy.
Can't wait to check back in 6 months to see how wrong 5:08's (Krusatyr) sanctimonious prediction turns out.
Time to find out who's the HMFIC.
Ol' Ted is Chowke's boy. Note that Chowke did not express any opposition to Ol' Ted's appointment to that position. As another progressive/Marxist, he is Chowke's ringer from Bawsten.
Yates doesn't have enough sense to conduct this fight on her own. She's merely a pawn in the game...like a mule running Highway 20 through Pearl.
Damn Yankee! Send his ass home with his tail between his legs!
Just what both sides need, a bunch of legal bills.
You already pay for county roads and bridges based on how much your house is worth. Not that much of a stretch here.
I might pay based on Ted’s plan if he’ll take the school millage off with taxes since my kids are all grown! That would be equitable! Come to think of it, eliminate the City’s ad valorem too since they can’t even patch potholes!
I live in Greenville and haven’t seen a water/sewer/trash bill for less than $125 per month in the last five years for house and another for pool and underground sprinkler probably about $750 per year. I wish Greenville would adopt $150 per month max.
The Black Caucus down with the equity vote.
Headline should read “ Mississippi picks battle it can’t win again “! Listen to 7:52 Tater, veto this bill and save the state millions in unnecessary and frivolous legal bills.
State can’t trump the Feds. Especially a judge.
5:08 hits the nail on the head. This is Marxism. Henefin made a statement likening this this to paying for roads and schools. the problem is both of those are funded unfairly as well. EVERYTHING should be free based. I don’t use the public school system and never will. It’s pure socialism. Roads could be funded entirely through higher fuel taxes. Divvy the money out to the counties and cities. Want to pay less? Drive less. One’s property being taxed is extortion. We never truly own our property-we only own it at the pleasure of psychopathic overlords crooked enough to want to be elected to public office.
@8:39 Greenville is under a consent decree and needs the money to get compliant.
We only fought a Revolution to ensure freedom from taxation without representation. Henifin's unlegislated property tax is an odious burden and a Redcoat reduction. Throw his butt in Boston Harbor!
Redcoat redux (spell check interfered)
Meanwhile Wyatt Emmerich has his nose so far up Henefin's butt that Wyatt can't see straight. Wyatt is too lazy to go ask many of the successful water systems in the metro area "How do ya'll manage to do it when Jackson can't?" He won't listen to local folks that have been doing it successfully for years. Instead it takes an outsider
March 8, 2023 at 6:56 PM, do you say this because she is a woman?
How do tens of thousands of municipalities across America successfully meter and bill for water based on consumption but a $400,000/yr Prima Donna marxist tyrant throws up his hands and declares water meters can't be made to work in Jackson, so we gotta tax the workers' homes to pay for the entitled indigent class?
Ted's got the Fed behind him. The State will bend the knee on this one.
Exactly, 9:42!
6:56 PM "Yates doesn't have enough sense to conduct this fight on her own. She's merely a pawn in the game...like a mule running Highway 20 through Pearl."
Watch it 6:56, your ignorance and chauvinism is showing! You obviously do not know Ms Yates. She is very capable and reasonable and represents all very well.
11:34, I have been asking this same question and getting the same answer you will: nothing. Evidently no one knows the answer or is willing to give it. Are those in charge and who have been in charge for decades just unable to ask those who can do how to do? Is it some big secret that Tutwiler and Boston know but won't tell? Has anyone asked Hiz Honor the Mayor this question?
You are correct, 11:34. How can every other water provider in the country make meter billing by usage/consumption work but somehow Jackson can't ? Why is that, Mr Henifin ? Why is that Mr Mayor ? Is Jackson that stupid that it can't do what every other water provider does ? I sure hope Judge Wingate asks that very simple question if Mr Henifin asks him to order a property value based billing model. Even Mr Henifin himself admits that not a single other water provider in the country uses a property value based billing system. It's truly crazy what he's proposing.
For all those who say "feds are in charge, this is a losing battle" go read the Federal Judge's order that established Commrade Henefinn. It specifically states that he must follow state statutes with a few specified exceptions: Public procurement laws, open records act, etc.
Henefinn has said he was going to go to the Judge and ask that they overrule this statute. He made this public pronouncement only three days after he answered a specific question in a small group meeting of Jacksonians; the question being: If Representative Yates' bill passes, what will you do?
Henefinn's answer was clear and specific; he said: "I will follow the law".
Wonder what happened over the weekend when that answer he gave privately was directly opposite of his public pronouncement. Maybe his socialist policy warriors at United Water Alliance jumped on him for not fighting for this policy they have been trying to get instituted across the country but have been unable to get anybody to do voluntarily? Inquiring minds want to know. But, we recognize that with this czar, we will never know.
Cities are created by laws passed by the State and no rights other that what is granted by the State. The legal authority is very clear .
Maybe one of the foremost experts on water infrastructure in the US knows more about how to fix a water system than Jackson Jambalaya pundits who label anything they don't like as "Marxist" in spite of never likely having read a complete work by Marx?
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