Should JXN Water cut off water service for the Tracewood Apartments if the company has an (alleged) $910,000 unpaid water bill? Jackson Ward 1 Councilman Ashby Foote doesn't think so. The Councilman penned his thoughts on social media a few days ago. The post included a letter from a Tracewood resident as well.
I received this letter over the weekend from a constituent who lives at Tracewood Apartments and is rightfully concerned that her water may be cutoff because the management/owners of Tracewood now owe over $900,000 in back water bills according to JXN Water. This is an unconscionable situation that must be resolved across the City. It appears that up to 15 apartment complex landlords (many from out of state) have been delinquent in paying their water bills even as they collect rent and water fees from their renters. The obligation to collect is JXN Water’s but they need to pursue remedies other than shutting off the water that goes to renters. I am confident that Judge Wingate and the power of the Department of Justice will get to a solution that protects the apartment dwellers in Jackson.
Posted below is the letter.
Kingfish note: The Kingfish must respectfully disagree with the Councilman. The fault lies with the owners of the apartment who knowingly did not pay a water bill for quite some time. One would expect such financially sophisticated people to ask about a water bill or make a diligent effort to find out how much was owed.
JXN Water should team up with the District Attorney to investigate. If the leases state the tenant is paying a specific fee for water, then there is a possible case of embezzlement. Other states have done so.
30 comments:
What District Attorney? (lol)
Can’t believe we are still talking about this in 2025.
The city leaders (that includes you, Ashby Foote), are not capable of operating a utility. That's why it got in the condition that required the feds to intervene. The mayors, the councilmembers, etc. that Jackson has had over the last 20 years aren't capable. Foote, and the rest of them prove it every day. They simply can't do it.
Change the ownership by selling the property. Pay the water bill with the proceeds from the apartment sale and return the excess money from the sale to the current owner. THIS IS WHAT BANKS AND Savings and Loan companies do all of the time. This is not reinventing the wheel!!!
Ashby finally listening to a constituent? That's a first....
I can’t agree with Foote or the author of the letter on this one. Yes, it sucks big time to have to move abruptly but that’s what they should be doing. And they act like JXN water is the bad guy by saying they were “targeted” by them. Hell yeah they were they owe almost a mil!! You sign away your rights and put your water service in the apartment owners hands when you move into one so that’s who you should blame. The only way these scam owners will learn is if they lose their tenants and get sued.
The DA? The part timer bragging about money and dope in the safe DA? Lololol.
1. JXN Water could sue the property over the unpaid bill and get a judgment.
2. Enroll the judgment with the circuit court clerk.
3. Execute on the judgment with a sheriff's sale of the property.
4. The owner will either pay the bill or declare bankruptcy to stop the sale.
5. If No. 5 does not occur, proceed with the sale and use the proceeds of the sale to satisfy the judgment.
Am I missing something? This is what happens to normal people who get a judgment against them, if they own property that is not exempt from execution.
And, as usual, taxpayers are left footing the bill for this criminal/irresponsible conduct.
The letter from the tenant is spot on. They should not lose a necessary-to-life utility due to the mismanagement of the apartment complex owners (particularly if the tenants are paying their utility charges). Several remedies against the owners can be entertained without cutting off the tenants' access to water. Go after the owners.
He talks about apts owing money. What about the city's own water bill?
$6.4 million and climbing. Maybe someone should ask him about that.
KF didn't the mayor say yesterday at
the capital he was for cutting people
off? I believe Ms. Yates ask the mayor
about it. If someone has Mr. Foote
email maybe you can ask about city
water bill.
The DOJ doesn't have anything to do
with it.
I agree with your comment KF. I believe
Jxn Water has been talking to the judge
and their attorneys about the apts. With
what you said the others might think
twice about not paying their bill. Tracewood had a certain amount the
tenants were paying for water. They
did not put it in a separate account for
water.
Foote never claimed to be able to run the utility company. Water should have been cut off after 90 days of being delinquent and City should have sued the landlord for non payment. Their is a serious lack of executional skills in most government offices.
2:06 p.m. is the only person on here that’s made any kind of sense.
This only covers period for when JXN Water has control.
The mayor disagrees with the councilman.
That is the price you pay for electing a fool or criminal. Sounds like the former mayor might have a hand in this. Was he getting his part of the water money from the property owner?
I like this idea.
The councilman fails to separate two distinct issues. While he admirably shows compassion to any paid-up renter who should not have to suffer a cutoff, he fails to see that it is the landlord who must be held responsible and any renters may seek court relief against the landlord. If I were a slum lord I would be supporting the councilman’s position - and I would leave the water debt unpaid. Ending water service to the entire complex is the only act that leads to a solution.
Ashby gonna pay for the water or will the taxpayers be on the hook so he can look a hero.
The city has a case to sue the apartment owner and maybe even foreclose on the debt. If the residents paid their rent in good faith and the lease said it included water, then the city and the receiver in a bad spot.
A reward should be offered for information about the prior administration taking kickbacks for free water for customers.
The cutoffs at apartments should have happened long ago. Ted dropped the ball on this.
The city can't sue apt owners for water
bills. The city doesn't have the water
system.
2:06 here. The case between Tracewood and JXN Water is already filed and before Judge Wingate, and JXN Water's counter claim was filed on August 20, 2025. So it looks like that ball is already rolling.
Wingate should rule tomorrow if no agreement is reached. Let’s hope he doesn’t just keep kicking the can down the road. It’s way past time to play hardball.
Foote is wrong here, although his heart may be in the right place. The tenants are screwed and may have to move - but that is a fight between the tenant and the landlord -- not one that the city (or its officials) have any place in being.
The entire failure of the water utility is due to this same mentality - the City, under the 'leadership' of Mayor Yarber, followed by the 'leadership' of Mayor Lumumba and with the complictiness of the City Council (including Foote) enacted a moritorium on water cutoffs that essentially lasted over six years until the takeover of the system by JxnWater as the receiver. Granted, that six years was exacerbated by the failure of Henifin and JxnWater to enforce cutoffs for nonpayment of bills from the inception until this summer and only then did Henifin start cutting off these significant violators when Wingate refused his plea to increase the water rates on the 70% of customers who were actually paying their bills.
Henifin/JxnWater are not at fault in this instance -- other than they waited a few years too long in beginning this process. The tenants are not at fault either, but the problems brought on them by the landlord's failure to properly manage the property are not to be borne by the 55,000 other customers of the utility.
Sorry Ashby, but you need to go back to school on this one and recognize that this attitude is what put the city in the position to lose control (and hopefully, never gain it back) over this service.
And sorry Ted, but your crying crock tears over your current financial condition is due to your failure to address all facets of running this system - not just getting the treatment plant functional and properly operating; and not just getting the distribution/collection system repaired all while skipping the third important rail - correcting and implementing a proper billing/collection operation.
Either Kingfish is confused or I am. Nothing in his opinion post is in disagreement with a similar response from the councilman. If there is a difference, please state it.
What Sister R doing?
What's Foote's alternative?
What's JXN Water's alternative?
The do nothing option is what got us here.
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