JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Early next year, residents in Mississippi’s capital will see higher water rates.
The council’s last change to water rates was in December of 2021, City Attorney Catoria Martin told the council.
After the meeting, interim Third-Party Manager Ted Henifin told the television station that JXN Water will start advertising the new rate increases as soon as Wednesday and will implement the new rates as early as February.
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Several council members told Henifin they didn’t want to vote for the increase but not because of any adversarial issues toward him.
“I just can’t in good conscience vote to raise rates for people who have not been getting water at some times out of the tap, and sometimes not clean,” Council Vice President Angelique Lee said.
When Henifin took over the system, Jackson’s water was not meeting all Safe Water Act guidelines. As of today, it is.
“We understand what you have to do in terms of putting the system on sound footing not just for today, but for tomorrow or in the future, but we still get people calling about bills that are erroneous,” Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes said. “I support what you’re doing, but I just can’t support a vote to raise rates.”
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Early next year, residents in Mississippi’s capital will see higher water rates.
The council’s last change to water rates was in December of 2021, City Attorney Catoria Martin told the council.
After the meeting, interim Third-Party Manager Ted Henifin told the television station that JXN Water will start advertising the new rate increases as soon as Wednesday and will implement the new rates as early as February.
Political Cartoons
Several council members told Henifin they didn’t want to vote for the increase but not because of any adversarial issues toward him.
“I just can’t in good conscience vote to raise rates for people who have not been getting water at some times out of the tap, and sometimes not clean,” Council Vice President Angelique Lee said.
When Henifin took over the system, Jackson’s water was not meeting all Safe Water Act guidelines. As of today, it is.
“We understand what you have to do in terms of putting the system on sound footing not just for today, but for tomorrow or in the future, but we still get people calling about bills that are erroneous,” Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes said. “I support what you’re doing, but I just can’t support a vote to raise rates.”
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Residents in Jackson, Mississippi will experience higher water rates in the near future. According to City Attorney Catoria Martin, the city council last changed water rates in December 2021. The new rate increases will be advertised by JXN Water starting this week and will be implemented as early as February. However, some council members expressed concerns about voting for the rate increase, citing issues such as inconsistent water supply and water quality problems in the past. Interim Third-Party Manager Ted Henifin assured that the water system now complies with Safe Water Act guidelines. Despite this, Councilman Kenneth Stokes voiced his support for improving the system but stated that he cannot support raising rates due to ongoing billing errors. The increase in water rates is expected to take effect in early 2023.
