Jackson makes December bond payment for JXN Water
The Mississippi House of Representatives Committee on Jackson Revitalization is meeting right now. It will later address CMU issues with billing as well. Representative Shanda Yates (I - The Speakeasy) chairs the committee. The meeting is live-streamed below. Jackson Mayor John Horhn will be the first person to address the committee.
* Mayor Horhn said JXN Water has a collection problem, preventing the Receiver from running the system on a sound financial footing. Collections are at 70%. Mayor Horhn said collections reached 82% last month but the rate "fluctuates."
* The Jackson congressional delegation is working on legislation to redirect $54 million of federal to JXN Water for operations.
* JXN Water owes contractors $30 million. It promised to pay them by December.
* Mayor Horhn said he opposes a rate increase proposed by JXN Water Manager Ted Henifin.
* The Mayor said JXN Water was turning off water service to people who do not have accounts. Mayor Horhn said some had tried to establish accounts and were unable to do so. He estimated there were 4,000 people who did not have accounts.
* JXN Water said it can not meet the December debt payment of $5 million (Total debt is $141 million.). Jackson put up some of its sales tax revenue as a backstop for the bonds. Mayor Horhn said since a diversion of sales tax would take place in November, the city "cobbled together" enough money to make the payment for JXN Water two weeks ago.
* Mayor Horhn suggested the state making a payment in lieu of taxes by increasing the 1% sales tax. He pointed out the large number of state, school, and church buildings that are tax exempt.
* Hizzoner said the city wants to regain control of its water/sewer system. He advocates establishing an independent advisory board and hiring a third party to manage the system. He said few cities operate their own water/sewer systems.
* Ms. Yates asked Hizzoner about the $6.4 million the city owed to JXN Water for the zoo. The Mayor said JXN Water held back the garbage collection fees. The city disputes the $6.4 million bill.
No one appeared at the hearing from JXN Water.
* Mayor Horhn said his administration was studying taking back the collection of garbage fees from jXN Water and possibly turning it over to Richard's Disposal.
* Several CMU officials and its lawyer, Keith Turner, appeared before the committee. (Start at 55:00 in video).
* CMU Commissioner John Wallace started the discussion by giving a lecture on CMU's history since its founding in the late 1800s. As if anyone wanted to hear it.
* Wallace said CMU is just breaking even after raising rates. He said those served by Beattie's Bluff were "under billed" and rates had not changed since 2012.
* CMU serves 6,000 sewer customers and 8,000 water customers.
* Ms. Yates asked if the CMU Board of Commissioners includes anyone served in the areas outside of Canton. Wallace smugly said state law only allows Canton residents to serve on the Board. Ms. Yates said the legislature could look at adjusting the law.
* CMU official said the "outrageous bills" were causes by usage and leakage.
* Wallace said when he retired from CMU in 2015, the system was "flush with cash" as it had $17 million.
* Mr. Turner said state law allows CMU to charge non-Canton residents double what Canton residents pay.
32 comments:
All citizens have to do to set up account with Jxn Water is go to
their website. It's all there.
The mayor doesn't care if enough money comes in to operate this system.
Why is he discussing Jxn Water when
he doesn't have anything to do with it?
Jxn Water has also been turning people
off that are 60 days late on their bill.
The city should make the payments cause they didn't do their job and put
settlement money on the debt.
As long as it’s an independent authority and not in the next mayor’s hands then so be it.
The city disputes the water bill when
they let the water run for years.
revitalizing a corpse-
How do 4000 residents not have a water account?
I best some who were unable to"establish accounts" had a large deficient water bill or were caught straight piping.
So the COJ wants to regain control- yet demands that the water bill deficiency be paid by others.
10:58 that's the mayor talking not Jxn
Water. He's needs to leave the talking
about Jxn Water to Jxn Water.
He estimated there were 4,000 people who did not have accounts.
Those 4000+ people receiving water without accounts -- and therefore who haven't been paying for water, garbage or sewer service -- didn't just became account-less with the arrival of Ted Henifin. Bullshit if the rest of the state should kick in more money via PILT to Jackson because of the outrageous incompetence of previous administrations.
@10:53 they let the water run 24 hours per day for all those years. Think about it.
Meet the new Mayor, (almost the) same as the old Mayor.
I , without realizing it, paid someone elses water bill for 3 years while living in Lake Dockery . Yes, Jacksons pipes still run thru parts of Byram.
The mayor is addressing the city's status in regard to the water system. He's involved and he's answering questions, unlike the former mayor. You people aren't satisfied with shit.
> Mayor Horhn said his administration was studying taking back the collection of garbage fees from jXN Water and possibly turning it over to Richard's Disposal
Excuse me?
The city can't transfer garbage fees from Jxn Water unless all parties agree.
One cannot bitch about the water service in Jackson while simultaneously not pay their water bills or not even attempt to try and rectify their back-owed bills or others bills currently owed.
We're from Richard's Disposal and we're here to help...
We got the Garbage Department
We got the IT Department
We working on the Thalia Mara Department
We gonna have the Whatever Jackson Pays Us Department
The mayor talks about an independent
Advisory board after Ted leaves. Then
he turns around and said the mayor
should select the majority of them.
That is not independent.
Don’t forget Jackson wants to run the airport.
"As long as it’s an independent authority and not in the next mayor’s hands then so be it." It won't be an independent authority. It will be a created overnight minority-owned, inexperienced contractor instead of an expert like Jacobs.
* Mayor Horhn said he opposes a rate increase proposed by JXN Water Manager Ted Henifin. This is exactly why the City can never gain control of the water system ever again.
There's a lot of wasted parking at the airport.
Why can't the airport make a deal with Richards so they can park their garbage trucks there?
That's a win win!
🤡
When Henifin took over there were more than 7,000 non-accounts due to straight-piping
http://kingfish1935.blogspot.com/2023/07/judge-wingate-rejects-lumumba-meddling.html
plus more than 1,000 "Ecode" accounts.
http://kingfish1935.blogspot.com/2023/02/who-ordered-code-e-sequel.html
So not only has the collection rate improved dramatically, but the number of accounts from which to collect has probably gone up too.
CLOSE the zoo, Mayor!
2:46 Ted doesn't get the credit he deserves.
The numbers might work if they raise rates about 25% and can get the collections rate up to about 275%.
Jxn Water warned these citizens that if
their water bill is 60 days late they will
get their water cut off. I guess the mayor didn't bother to find out when
accused Jxn Water needing better
customer service with cut offs.
Thought exercise:
Someone gets the record of all past due JXN Water accounts and immediately delivers that amount in cash to each accout holder. (This would probably require several armored cars and at least two squads of MPs from Fort Bragg.)
What percentage of these funds would be use to pay off the water accounts?
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