Governor approves Jackson water authority bill
By Alex Rozier | Originally published by Mississippi Today
By some time next year, a Metro Jackson Water Authority could take over the capital city’s system under a bill Gov. Tate Reeves signed into law.
Such a model would still need approval from U.S. District Court Judge Henry Wingate, who is ruling over the federal lawsuit against Jackson for its violations under the Safe Drinking Water and Clean Water acts. Under the new state law, the authority would take over once the interim manager of the utility systems, JXN Water, steps down. JXN Water expects to leave its role sometime in 2027.
State lawmakers have debated with city officials over the authority’s makeup during the past few legislative sessions. In the end, the Legislature approved a nine-person board with the following appointees: three at-large appointments from the mayor of Jackson, two from the governor, one from the lieutenant governor, one each from the mayors of Ridgeland and Byram, and one who the governor and Jackson mayor would consult with each other to decide. Jackson Mayor John Horhn would also sit on the board as a non-voting member.
Byram and Ridgeland receive drinking water and sewer service from Jackson, respectively. The cities received direct appointments after pushing back against a House proposal that required Jackson officials to approve their picks.
The board would oversee the authority’s decision making, such as entering into contracts or raising rates. The members would appoint a president to run the day-to-day operations, taking over for current manager Ted Henifin.
Horhn expressed disappointment with the bill after it passed both chambers last month, arguing the city should control a majority of the nine appointments.
“Jackson should not be asked to carry the greatest risk without having the authority to govern the assets it owns,” he said in a March 31 statement. “We will continue working with our city leaders, state and federal officials, and other partners toward a solution that is fair, workable, and centered on accountability.”
Horhn said the systems’ debt, roughly $200 million, would fall back onto the city if the authority can’t make payments.
The city did not respond to multiple inquiries about whether it would attempt to hold up the new authority from forming. Rep. Shanda Yates, an Independent from Jackson who authored the bill, told WLBT it’s up to the city to enter a lease agreement with the water authority.
This article was originally published by Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
Source: Original Article
