JACKSON, Miss—Nearly three years after Congress allocated over $600 million to repair Jackson’s water infrastructure in the aftermath of the Mississippi capital city’s water crisis, the mayor is asking state leaders for help ensuring the long-term viability of the system.
Mayor John Horhn met with members of the Capital City Revitalization Committee on Oct. 23 to discuss JXN Water’s management and the long-term viability of both the water and sewer utilities.
He praised third-party administrator Ted Henifin’s work to stabilize the system and bring it back into compliance with federally outlined standards after consecutive water crises, but noted that the agency “has a collections problem.”
That problem, Horhn said, threatens the long-term financial sustainability of the system, especially since the agency is tasked with using part of the funds to pay down debt the City has amassed over the years.
‘The State’s Assistance’
To properly address the dilemma, “the state’s assistance is going to be required,” Horhn said.
He suggested solutions like using increased diversions from the Capital City Improvement District’s infrastructure fund or raising the 1% sales tax for the next 10 years. “We’ve got to come up with an additional revenue stream, at least temporarily,” the mayor continued.
He does not support a rate increase for customers right now—an idea Ted Henifin proposed in April. The water utility operator has spoken publicly about the need for more revenue to cover the ongoing costs of operating both the water and sewer systems.
This year, the agency ramped up service disconnections for customers with delinquent water bills, particularly commercial owners like landlords, and those who were receiving water without ever setting up JXN Water accounts. That decision drew criticism from members of the Jackson City Council, some of whom had previously told the agency to get their collection rate up before raising the utility rate again.
On Oct. 23, Rep. Fabian Nelson, whose district includes Jackson, said he has heard from residents that their water was turned off due to what he characterized as JXN Water’s “faulty billing system.”
Although Henifin had been slated to answer questions from lawmakers on Thursday, he did not attend the meeting due to a scheduling conflict, committee co-chair Rep. Shanda Yates said.
As for who would oversee operations of the systems after Henifin’s departure, Horhn said he is against placing responsibility for running the water and sewer systems back under the control of the Jackson Public Works Department and its newly hired director, Lorenzo Anderson. Instead, he backs creating an independent water utility authority to oversee operations and enlisting a third-party company to manage the system.
Republican David Parker drafted bills—first in 2023 and then again in 2024 – proposing to place responsibility for Jackson’s water system under the control of a regional water authority after Henifin’s departure. Parker eventually garnered the support of the interim third-party manager with Senate Bill 2628. An updated version of the bill proposed giving Jackson officials three appointees on the board.
Former mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba criticized those proposals, comparing those efforts to what he believed were other Republican-led attempts to take control of the City’s assets. Sen. David Blount said former Mississippi Sen. David Parker, who represented Olive Branch, had not sufficiently consulted with Jackson-area lawmakers before presenting Senate Bill 2628.
‘Billing Has Been A Problem’
Mayor John Horhn reiterated several times throughout the Oct. 23 discussion with state lawmakers that Jackson must maintain majority representation on the proposed board.
“It’s in the City’s best interest to have a majority vote on that board,” the mayor said.
Ward 1 City Councilman Ashby Foote attended the meeting. After Horhn’s presentation, the councilman said that he believes JXN Water has done a good job with infrastructure repairs and operations at the water plants, including avoiding widespread boil water notices and sewer overflows.
But the agency’s continued struggles with billing and customer service can’t be ignored, he said.
“In billing, they’ve come up way short, and we’ve got to come up with a solution to that. I’m disappointed that they haven’t made more progress,” Foote said.
Still, he noted, accurate billing was an issue before the inception of JXN Water.
“It’s a steep hill we’ve got to climb. Water billing has been a problem since I came on the council 10 years ago,” Foote said. “Now, we’ve got this giant hole we’re in (and) trying to recover.”
The Mississippi Free Press attempted to reach JXN Water for comment on this story but they did not respond by publication time.