The city of Jackson might soon be broke. Mayor John Horhn sent this letter to the Jackson City Council:
As part of the Administration’s ongoing review of the City’s financial condition, we have determined that actual collections and revenues for the current fiscal year are projected to be lower than the revenues originally anticipated and budgeted. Accordingly, the City must amend its Fiscal Year 2025–2026 budget to ensure compliance with Mississippi law and maintain sound fiscal management practices.
Pursuant to Mississippi Code Section 21-35-25, when it appears during the fiscal year that collections of anticipated revenues from taxes or other sources will be less than the amount estimated and a deficit is thereby indicated, the governing authorities are required to revise and reduce budget appropriations to conform to the lower anticipated revenues. The statute specifically provides that when a deficit is indicated, the budget shall be revised. Additionally, Mississippi Code Section 21-35-15 requires municipalities to operate within available revenues and avoid expenditures in excess of anticipated resources.
A budget amendment is necessary to maintain compliance with state law and demonstrate responsible stewardship of public funds. This amendment does not reduce the City’s commitment to providing essential services to residents. Rather, it represents a prudent financial adjustment based on current fiscal realities and is intended to preserve the City’s long-term financial stability while continuing to support critical operations and services.
It is the intent of this Administration to meet its statutory obligations, maintain fiscal accountability, and continue delivering essential services to the citizens of Jackson. Accordingly, I respectfully request that the Council adopt a revised budget before July 31, 2026. Failure to do so could result in the City operating under appropriations that exceed anticipated revenues, contrary to the requirements of state law.
The City Council's Finance Committee scheduled a meeting to discuss the shortfall for Wednesday morning.
56 comments:
The Lumumba admin will haunt the COJ for decades-
get ready to slap leather- ad valorem taxes.
No collections from the new out of state parking meters...........barely collecting water notes........
11:42 This budget was done by Horhn admin.
Sounds kinda like the Water Dept woes ...but Horne cant blame this on Teddy ( yet!)
Ole Peter T must have seen the writing on the wall.
Reduce City expenditures- CLOSE THE ZOO. COJ cannot afford it!
City had the nerve to complain about Jxn
Water.
Something like 60% of all US cities are broke and operate in a deficit.
What happens if they don't follow state law?
If they would get a real police chief in there and develop a police department that goes hard on crime (and work hand-in-hand with Capitol PD), they might be able to attract some businesses and residents back into Jackson to boost revenue. It might also help to elect some judges that will actually deter some crime.
@11:58 Lumumba hammered revenues to this day and beyond.
Using the total crap data left behind by Lumumba who purposefully wasn't producing year end audits to avoid accountability for the budgetary games he was playing without Council authorization.
But he paid the new COP more that was budgeted so go figure
Something like 60% of all US cities are broke and operate in a deficit.
Link? PUT UP.
I think we all know this extreme heat is adding to everyone's expenses as we try to stay cool. It has also resulted in more fires and emergency responses all over the country.
My Entergy bill is much higher than in years past. Constant running of the appliances that help us stay cool and water that keeps us hydrated adds to costs!
Government can't run on a budget based on extreme scenarios nor can our small businesses and local services. Worse, FEMA budgets have been cut so recovering from weather disasters just got harder.
Chokwe Lumumba and his effects, exhibit #2837361617474827.
The sad part of this is the majority voting block of Jackson is incapable of realizing Chokwe is the real culprit, and will blame this on Horhn, and another Chokwe-esque retard may win the next mayoral election. I am thinking it may be Tyreek Skyhook Zimbabwe or whatever.
Maybe this means the State will have to bail the city out and take control of everything.
How does this not make Horhn think “hmm maybe I need to stop playing around with the thugs in this town and actually become Frank Melton 2.0…”
Only one solution. We need to get rid of our aircon.
New mayor, same as old mayor. Bwa, ha, ha, ha, ha.
Can't the City just ask the state for a bailout, and when the state says No, the City can blame racism instead of the City's lack of leadership?
Sell a piece of the airport to the regional airport authority.
I am thinking of a certain airport with some land surrounding in that the city could put up for sale and ask for a few million to help right the ship…
Crime actually got worse under Melton
To: State of Mississippi
From: Tax-paying citizens of Jackson
Re: Jackson, MS
Please, I'm begging you, take the wheel away from the children. We need adults to drive.
Respectfully yours,
Exhausted Jacksonians
11:59am that is simply not true. Most state constitutions require a balanced budget. Cities and states can’t run budget deficits, thus Jackson is reducing its budget to be in line with revenues.
The apologists always say the damnedest things.
12:49 I should have phrased that differently. 60% of cities FACE deficits and have to revise their budgets. It’s bullshit that the Federal Government can go $30,000,000,000,000+ in debt but our cities just fall apart. Jackson is a microcosm of major cities like Memphis and Detroit, except we don’t have the industry they have to keep them afloat. It’s a very sad and downright sorry situation. Every problem in the city is downstream of crime.
Care -- well don't really care. Will be some drama allll the time....
It’s no longer Jacktown, it’s now Joketown.
Told you a long time ago that Jackson was using the water money to prop up the budget. Now it has caught up with the city and real money has to be used. Water money has to stay in the water only budget and can't be mixed.
Get rid of no good public works guy and police chief of staff.
Frank melton was my favorite mayor
As a NE Jackson tax payer I wish the city had no say in the airport water police and we only had Capitol police. Of course we’re the minority in the city but our ward says a large portion of the taxes. We’re the piggy bank with no voice and get called racist.
FORENSIC AUDIT, CERTIFIED, USING OUTSIDE CPA'S NOW!!!!!!!
Naw. Say it ain't so? Businesses and people moving out of Jackson everyday. Leaving behind only the homeless criminal gangs and elderly. These folks require a lot of services and pay very little in taxes.
The criminal culture cancer unleashed on to the City of Jackson in the 1990’s when then White Democrat Mayor Kane Ditto brought in Jimmy Wilson as police chief, continues to metastasize 3 decades later today. But the White Democrats Malcom X warned us about can always count on Horhn et al to vote for them in state and national elections, so the demise of Jackson, MS is still a net win as far as they are concerned (it’s not their babies being murdered).
And Madison County is next.
Didn't city officials and Jackson citizens just vehemently oppose building data centers which would bring in desperately needed revenues?
I hope Horhn did a forensic audit to separate himself from the LaGuilty administration!
But let's pay an attorney to sue the state on something that will not cost the city of Jackson a penny!!!! AIRPORT LAWSUIT
This is the dumbest thing I have ever seen.
Wasn't Councilwoman Tina Clay asking questions about how the budget would be balanced a few months ago?
As a FORMER Eastover resident, you are correct 1:20.
I got real tired of paying taxes and losing tires to potholes while being called racist just because I am white.
I am amazed that there are as many hold outs as there are in my former 'hood.
OOOPS!
Gotsta hate when that money run out.
There’s no way we have any kind of fiscal problems - the zoo’s still open and the city is trying to take back control of the water and sewer systems, proving we are flush with cash.
The only decent mayor in many decades was Dale Danks. This disaster started with Kane Ditto, and you can ditto that.
So do we get a tutorial on how Socialist/Communist work when they run out of other peoples money?
Dear Ann Landers:
I am an inner city English teacher, and my students are reading George Orwell's "1984." I am having a difficult time explaining communism, socialism and fascism to my students without giving a full-blown, time-consuming history lesson. I recall you printed a humorous column some time ago explaining these concepts using cows as examples. Will you please print it again for my students? I'm sure it will kick-start a lively class discussion. I'd appreciate your help. -- A Teacher in Mississippi
Dear Mississippi Teacher:
Thank you for asking. It's an "oldie," but a "goldie." Here it is:
Socialism: You have two cows. Give one cow to your neighbor.
Communism: You have two cows. Give both cows to the government, and they may give you some of the milk.
Fascism: You have two cows. You give all of the milk to the government, and the government sells it.
Nazism: You have two cows. The government shoots you and takes both cows.
Anarchism: You have two cows. Keep both of the cows, shoot the government agent and steal another cow.
Capitalism: You have two cows. Sell one cow and buy a bull.
Surrealism: You have two giraffes. The government makes you take harmonica lessons.
Close the zoo, relinquish the airport, lease or sell the water/sewer infrastructure to JXN Water, and start trimming-back the city employee and JPS rosters -- starting at the top.
12:30 Obviously you don’t know the truth about Frank Melton. Also the State of MS does the same thing when revenues run lower than anticipated & cut budgets as well. That is the way to stay ahead.
That's the way its supposed to be. If the city was "borrowing" money from the water fund, there should be a huge payable on the books of the city. I'm sure you've looked it up on the ACFR
The city leaders have had no idea to run the city business over the last 20-30 years. They just sit around and watch. They have no ability to actually manage, work, compete, etc. @12:33 is correct. I am waiting on the city to request a state bailout, then scream racism if they don't get it. At some point these people have to manage their business like accountable adults. I'm pointing at past leadership, not Horhn. Horhn inherited a mess. I sympathize with his problems. But he's made many dumb, government-type decisions. He needs to fire underachievers, and reorganize the city with competent people. He won't do that. They continue to sit and do nothing while nobody is held accountable.
Yep 2:27, Danks left office with COJ in good shape.
Ditto screwed up everything Dale had accomplished.
Kane was more interested in pleasing the "black reverends" for the next election.
You can put money on the fact John Horhn is not going to close that award winning zoo, or turn over that "International" airport or water facilities /JPD to half ass competent people.
Horhn is the new chief of the village.
Those pesky audits that Lumumba refused to comply with ....He knew exactly what they would show and that should be another indictment. The fact "his people" haven't ran him out of town is beyond me. If all of the community activist aren't speaking up against his incompetence they are complicit in Jackson's demise. All the while he is posting jive turkey IG posts and trying to convince everyone he is innocent.
The city was not siphoning off water/sewer revenue. That department ran at a multi million dollar deficit. If anything, water/sewer drained the general fund. Nor should a profit go into general fund as there is too much work that still needs to be done.
Horhn is a Bureaucrat's bureaucrat. He thinks money comes from State and Federal programs and grants. He has no business experience yet feels bureaucratically entitled to spending. Consider his overpaying a new police chief recently fired from her previous position, and, without Council's pre-approval, promises her $50, 000 too much plus a golden parachute if she's terminated. He has no appreciation for how hard taxpayers worked to unintentionally fund his stupid, wastrel economic suicide.
Blow up the zoo, make it a community vegetable garden. Turn the airport over to professional managers. Sell off City Real Estate. Fix the fkg streets and stoplights!
Fed or state appointed city manager
Good thing Chok got his major award that recognized folk for "changing their communities and the country with their commitment to public service."
Harvard folks called it - Chok changed Jackson.
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