Jackson Mayor John Horhn issued the following statement.
Mayor John A. Horhn announced today that the City of Jackson is preparing to make upcoming debt service payments tied to the city’s water system while pressing JXN Water and federal partners for stronger accountability, better collections, and clearer communication with residents.
In a February 19 letter to Mayor Horhn, the Interim Third-Party Manager for JXN Water advised that, because $54 million in federal funds reallocated by Congress in November 2025 are still not flowing to the utility, the City must pay more than $1.5 million in bond debt service on March 1, 2026, to avoid an event of default. The letter further notes that the City should be prepared to make an additional payment of more than $2.3 million on June 1, 2026, even with a court-approved rate increase, because new revenue would not arrive in time to cover those obligations in full.
“Jackson families are already carrying a heavy load, and that is why I opposed this 12 percent rate increase,” Mayor Horhn said. “At the same time, we cannot and will not allow our city to default on its water debt. My responsibility is to protect residents from unnecessary hardship while keeping our system solvent and honest about what we owe.”
The court also ordered many of Mayor Horhn’s requested actions to ensure that every reasonable alternative is pursued before additional burdens are placed on residents.
1. Identify and bill unmetered and unbilled properties
JXN Water should expedite the identification and billing of currently unmetered or unbilled properties and provide quarterly progress reports detailing:
- The number of new accounts added, and
- The specific revenue impact of these additions.
2. Restore an in-person customer service presence
JXN Water should establish and maintain a physical, in-person site within the City of Jackson where residents can bring complaints, resolve billing disputes, and receive help understanding their bills.
3. Provide a clear “sample bill” to the public
JXN Water should create and make publicly available a simple “sample bill” so residents can see, line by line, how charges are calculated and what each part of the bill means.
4. Study a fairer tiered rate structure
JXN Water should study the feasibility of the Intervenors’ proposed tier threshold adjustments, including shifting the first tier from 50 CCF to 30 CCF, to be implemented once the system achieves initial solvency, so lower-volume users are better protected.
5. Pursue a vigorous, fair collections strategy for past-due accounts
JXN Water should develop and refine a strong but fair collections strategy for the estimated $74 million in outstanding arrears, with quarterly public reports on progress. This strategy should focus on:
- Collecting from those with the ability to pay,
- Offering reasonable options for those who genuinely cannot pay, and
- Reducing the need to lean on across-the-board rate increases.
“Our position is simple,” Mayor Horhn said. “Jackson residents deserve a water system that is funded fairly, not on the backs of the people who can least afford it. We will meet our legal obligations, but we will also keep pushing for solutions that use existing tools like better collections, honest billing, and already-approved federal funds before asking every household to pay more each month.”
The City will continue to:
- Coordinate with federal partners to unlock the $54 million in reallocated funds so they can support the system and relieve pressure on local ratepayers.
- Advocate for transparency measures such as quarterly reporting on new accounts, arrears collections, and the revenue impact of these efforts.
- Provide clear, simple information to residents about the timing and impact of any rate change on typical bills and where to seek assistance if they are at risk of falling behind.
“As this process moves forward, we will keep the people of Jackson informed,” Mayor Horhn said. “You will hear directly from us about what is happening, why decisions are being made, and what support is available. My commitment is to affordability, and long-term stability for our water system.”
Kingfish note: JXN Water Manager Ted Henifin said:
I think it's great. Judge Wingate obviously did a thorough job of what exploring any alternative to the rate increase and determined there no alternatives. We appreciate his thoroughness. We don't like rate increase. We inherited a system that was severely underfunded with a long history of no rate increases. If we want reliable, sustainable water, it takes this level of investment. Even with this rate increase, we aren't on a sustainable financial path until 2029.
30 comments:
City not suppose to be involved.
He needs to keep his nose out of it.
We may not agree with him, but it is so nice to hear a concise and MATURE opposition instead of childish blame and cries of racism and "inequity". I like Horhn.
Is he going to whine to court again?
Offering reasonable options for those who genuinely cannot pay,
WHO PAYS INSTEAD?
The money must come from somewhere if the JXN Water is to continue to provide safe water reliably to the customers.
Either the customer pays their bill, or someone else needs to pay their bill.
Interference from mayor looks like.
Dear Mayor Horhn,
The City of Jackson is, at the moment, the only municipality in the State of Mississippi not able to maintain a functioning water system on its own without financial and professional help from the federal and state government. Let that sink in, John.
Signed,
All non-Jackson-residents in the State of Mississippi
Horne is a disappointment. And I wasn’t expecting much…
3. Provide a clear “sample bill” to the public
Pre-Siemens CofJ water dept provided this. It was easy to read and easy to then verify the charges on your bill. (Though it may have been challenging for JPS grads.)
People who use water should pay for water. It’s pretty simple and works that way across the nation.
Sure hope ol' John Horhn will lend some of that collections expertise he keeps spouting his administration possesses to help JXN Water change the culture vis-a-vis bill payment.
Ted Henifin should now, immediately, press the legal cases against the apartment complex owners who refuse to come current on their balances.
Horhn talking out of both sides of his mouth doing his best Antar impression.
The City had over a year to put together a counter financial argument and an alternative model that made sense as an alternative to rate increases. The City did nothing. Just like prior years, across prior administrations, this city has done nothing for our water system.
The city needs to focus on the problems it can actually control and let water which is actually so improved and finally starting to run as it should, to the actual water experts.
Wingate's ruling was scathing:
"The resulting hearing, however, was a study in administrative irrelevance; rather than addressing the "Sword of Damocles" hanging over the water system’s solvency, the City’s financial expert, Michael Thomas, presented an analysis that was fundamentally untethered from the crisis at hand.
Remarkably, the record suggests the City did not even direct its own expert to perform the specific, rigorous analysis of water revenue requirements that this Court requested. Mr. Thomas, instead, expended the vast majority of his review time to sanitation fees, an issue this Court had explicitly and repeatedly announced was immaterial to the immediate necessity of a water rate increase.
Instead of a collaborative effort to solve a municipal emergency, the City’s presentation focused only on unrelated accounting discrepancies, rather than addressing the reality of the $1.2 million monthly deficit. The City, then, failed to offer a single viable, immediate alternative to bridge the $20.4 million shortfall. Accordingly, to this Court, the City’s objections stand as a hollow protest against the very math that past City administrations orchestrated through years of mismanagement. "
But the point is this "opposition" should be irrelevant. Jackson's involvement is what has made such a mess of things. Indecisiveness, allowing services with no enforcement for non-payment, endless discussions, and political in-fighting are the sum total of what we have seen from this city. The whole purpose of having a third-party administrator is to separate it from the paralysis that is the hallmark of how Jackson governs itself. The sooner that the city is ignored and the adults are allowed to enact a solution, the better off everyone will be.
Sounds like "equity based" billing Mayor. Where do I sign up for equity?
"Jackson residents deserve a water system that is funded fairly, not on the backs of the people who can least afford it"
The Mayor
Who decides what is "fair"? The citizens who do not want to pay anything?
Study a fairer tiered rate structure
"and that is why I opposed this 12 percent rate increase,” Mayor Horhn said. “At the same time, we cannot and will not allow our city to default on its water debt." I suppose the Mayor believes the revenue to service the City's water debt should appear from fairy s**t....
"Affordability" The latest woke buzz word.
When he tries collecting on the $74M
the city will start hollering.
But those cell phone and electric bills get paid every month.
When Ted sets up this "in-person customer service" public interface I hope JXN Water reports on the actual number of persons who physically avail themselves of this location on a daily basis. Also he should report on the total expenses necessary to stand up, support and staff (including security) this service presence.
My bet that is that relatively few will come to any office or service front and, when reported against actual expenses, this supposed need will prove out to be just another of the many red herring arguments trotted out by primarily the Lumumba cult to ding Henifin and the job he's doing.
AND to all those claiming that the meters are inaccurate. Prove it.
The city wasted the time of staff and spent money chasing this nonsense.
Meantime, they are stioll years in arrears with their audits and financial reporting.
No doubt many records for City of Jackson budgeting, puchasing and revenues are 'missing' or never existed from the Chokwe Antar years. This is what the city could be forensically auditing..
'
ASS CLOWNS!
For those who want equity involved in everything, that’s exactly what it is when everyone pays the same rate.
Says the mayor of the only city in the US whose water and sewer systems are in federal receivership. Talking out of both sides of your mouth won't help mayor. Of course the city will pay the bond debt. Face reality. Help the entity trying to save your bacon. Quit posturing.
1) when is the city of Jackson going to pay its late water bill, Mr. Mayor?
2) Mr. Mayor and City Counsel, please just shut the &^%$ up. YOU are part of the problem, not the solution. If you refuse to pay for your water and steal it instead, then please oh please, stop paying your electric bill, gas bill, and cable bill too.
That reallocated $54 million can't get here fast enough to help Ted out.
Now residents will pay more on their water bills which will probably still be less than surrounding communities. They will still bitch though.
Think about this 12% rate increase. Had the city enacted a 3% increase 7 years ago, then a 3% increase 3 years ago you would be only talking about another 3% but letting everything go to hell then having to ask for this is only the past city administrations fault. All water systems are going up 3% to stay healthy and pay for the increase cost of parts and work.
Here’s your chance for a “do over” Jackson. Everyone will be included and have a monthly equitable position, it’s called a bill! Use the water, pay your bill. That’s done monthly in cities across the country. Surely Jackson residents can get together and make “Jackson Strong”.
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