Jackson won a settlement of $10.3 million. Council says spend it on fixing city libraries

Charlie Drape, Mississippi Clarion Ledger
Updated ·2 min read
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After the City of Jackson won a settlement of more than $10 million with Zurich-American Insurance Group, members on the city council said they would like to see some of that money go toward improving Jackson's libraries.

A hail storm in March 2013 damaged more than 100 city-owned buildings insured by Zurich-American, who disagreed with how much the city wanted for repairs, starting a decade-long lawsuit. Last week, Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba announced the city won the lawsuit, receiving a $10.3 million settlement.

At a meeting of the Jackson City Council on Thursday, Ward 7 Councilwoman Virgi Lindsay asked the mayor's administration how the money would be spent and suggested some of the funds go toward repairing the city's libraries. Lindsay has said that fixing the city's libraries is a major priority for her in 2024.

Medgar Evers Library is one of multiple libraries throughout the city that need repairs.
Medgar Evers Library is one of multiple libraries throughout the city that need repairs.

"Our libraries were hit especially hard, and we've seen a lot of decline in our libraries ever since March 2013," Lindsay said during Thursday's council meeting. "I would like there to be some serious consideration about this money being used to help mediate some of the issues relating to the facilities at our libraries."

Ward 7 Councilwoman Virgi Lindsay, seen here in this Jan. 3, 2024 file photo, has made fixing the city's libraries a major priority for her in 2024.
Ward 7 Councilwoman Virgi Lindsay, seen here in this Jan. 3, 2024 file photo, has made fixing the city's libraries a major priority for her in 2024.

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Eudora Welty Library and the Charles Tisdale Branch Library, which closed in 2022, had "extreme" damage from the hail storm, said Ward 6 Councilman and Council President Aaron Banks.

Banks, along with Ward 1 Councilman Ashby Foote, echoed Lindsay's statements to the administration about using the settlement funds to repair the libraries.

"I think the libraries are an important cause that should benefit from this (the settlement)," Foote said.

Speaking for the administration, Louis Wright, the city's chief administrative officer, said there has not yet been "an in-depth discussion about the use of these funds."

He told council members he will be sure to inform them when a decision is made.

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Multiple libraries throughout the city have been in a state of disrepair for years. Eudora Welty Library was closed last June due to a broken air conditioning unit, as well as leaky pipes, causing unsafe working conditions. That building is being demolished, and the city is currently looking for a new space to put the flagship library.

Similarly, Richard Wright Library has been closed since 2020 due to needed plumbing repairs.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Jackson MS libraries need repairs. Council wants to use settlement funds