Council abstains on raising water rates. Henifin still plans to move forward. What to know

Jackson water rates will still increase soon even though all Jackson City Council members on Tuesday abstained from voting on the proposed water rate increase for residents presented earlier by federally appointed third-party water administrator Ted Henifin.

According to a stipulated order that put Henifin in charge of the water system, he does not need approval from the council or the mayor to move forward with the plan.

Two major reasons why the rates need to be increased Henifin has said is to generate funding for the city's equally beleaguered sewer system — which doesn't have any federal funding — and to maintain the water system's operating costs. Henifin's budget for the next year is $104 million.

Henifin told council members that most Jackson residents who use the average amount of water will see their water bill increase about 15%.

“Most residential customers will see a $40 availability charge and $6 on the 100 cubic feet for the consumptive use of water," Henifin said. "Meaning the average customer who uses six CCFs, 600 cubic feet, per month, would see their bill go from somewhere in the low $60-range to around the $75 range.

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"We did try to make the rate as economical as possible and across the country the average is $97 for that rate, and we're going to be somewhere in the $75 range."

Ward 2 Councilwoman and Council Vice President Angelique Lee best explained to Henifin why all councilmembers abstained. It's a mixture of the affordability of raising rates, as well as the long history of Jackson residents not getting clean water or water at all.

"I do understand the importance of raising our water rates, and I understand that we need to pay into the enterprise to have a sustainable functioning system that we can eventually turn back over to the city," Lee said. "I understand all of that. But I just can't in good conscious vote to raise rates for my people who have not been getting water sometimes out of the tap and sometimes not clean water. So just that extra pressure imposed on them (raising the water rates), I will not be voting for it."

Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba took a similar stance as the council. He repeated to Henifin what he said during a press conference he held last week: his administration is neither "endorsing nor condemning" the raise in water rates.

After the abstentions, Henifin told reporters the new water rates could go into effect by February 2024. JXN Water will start advertising the new water rates as soon as Wednesday, Henifin said.

Eudora Welty Library building now belongs to the state

Also during Tuesday's meeting, council members approved the transfer of the Eudora Welty Library building and property to the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.

The council approved the transfer in 5-0 vote, with Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes and Ward 5 Councilman Vernon Hartley abstaining.

In September, the Clarion Ledger first reported the city's plans to demolish the flagship library due to issues with maintaining the building that can't be afforded. The library has been closed since June due to a broken air conditioning system.

MDAH plans to create a green space after demolishing the building. Earlier in the year, Mississippi state lawmakers allocated $2 million for the project.

Katie Blount, director of MDAH, said the green space will be a place to enjoy for those visiting both the Museum of Mississippi History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum.

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"It is going to be an amazing front door to the two museums, which is a huge, huge draw to the City of Jackson and the state of Mississippi," Ward 7 Councilwoman Virgi Lindsay said, adding she has been a main supporter of the green space because it will be a good addition to the city.

Former Mississippi state Rep. Mike Espy attended the council meeting to throw his support behind the green-space, too. Espy was the 25th United States Secretary of Agriculture from 1993 to 1994, the first African American to hold the position.

"It (the green space) is across the street from a world-renowned civil rights museum," Espy said. "So when the people who frequent from all over the world the civil rights museum and it's impactful exhibits, all they have to do is go across the street and sit down in a green space that's peaceful, and they can think about what they've just seen."

After Espy, Lumumba again reinforced that the city is currently looking for a new location for the library. Lumumba said the aim is to keep the location in downtown Jackson.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Jackson MS Council abstains from voting to increase water rates