Controversial water authority bill passes Senate committee
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – A controversial bill creating a Jackson water authority has cleared a Senate committee, but not without the makeup of the governing board again being changed.
On Tuesday, the Senate Energy Committee passed H.B. 1677, the Metro Jackson Water Authority Act.
The measure would create an authority to take over the city’s water and sewer system once the federal receivership ends.
The bill passed the House last month after being amended to give the city a majority of appointees on the authority board.
However, the version that passed out of the Energy Committee again reduces the number of appointees made by city leaders.
“We’re at a position now to where the city council’s got two options, as I see it. One is bankruptcy, or one is they can work with us when we pass this bill,” said Sen. Joel Carter, chair of the Energy Committee. “If we don’t move forward with this, I think it’s going to be to the detriment of Jackson.”
[READ: Water authority bill could redirect Jackson’s sanitation funds to cover bond debt]
The bill has sparked debate among city and state leaders since it was introduced earlier in the session, largely due to the makeup of the authority board.
Mayor John Horhn initially backed the idea of an authority but wanted Jackson to have the majority of appointments.
However, the initial version of the bill gave Jackson just four of the original 13 appointees. However, an amended version of the bill gave Jackson three appointees and the authority to confirm nominations made by the mayors of Byram and Ridgeland.
[READ: Jackson mayor calls on lawmakers to kill water authority bill]
The bill passed out of the House and was referred to the Energy Committee, where it was again amended, this time to give Jackson just three of the nine appointees.
The proposed board makeup is below:
- Jackson mayor or his/her designee
- Two at-large members appointed by mayor, confirmed by Jackson City Council (must live or work in JXN Water service area)
- Two members appointed by the governor (must live or work in JXN Water service area)
- One member appointed by lieutenant governor (must live/work in service area)
- One member appointed by governor upon advice and consent of Jackson mayor, Mississippi Senate
- One member appointed by Byram mayor
- One member appointed by Ridgeland mayor
Council Vice President Vernon Hartley says the city should be given another chance to run the system and believes the new mayor and Public Works director are up for the challenge.
“Show me something in writing where there is an urgency to do this now. Let’s sit down and talk all the options, including the city taking back over its water and sewer systems,” he said.
“We have a great mayor and a great Public Works director,” he added. “Why don’t we give them a chance?”
If the bill passes as is, it will return to the House for concurrence.
The measure includes a “reverse-repealer” clause, meaning it likely will be sent to a conference committee to hammer out the final provisions.
Horhn issued the following statement in response to the committee’s vote:
“As a former legislator, I know that legislation is a process, not a one-day event. We remain optimistic about where this bill will ultimately land for Jackson’s residents. While we have serious concerns with certain provisions, we will continue to advocate for a water authority in which Jackson holds a majority of the seats. We are committed to working through the process to achieve a final measure that the City of Jackson can live with and that is mutually beneficial to everyone.”
“Because the city owns the water/sewer assets and will remain partly responsible for the system’s debt if the system cannot sustain itself, Jackson should hold a majority on the governing board. We are committed to ensuring that any system we are responsible for comes with a majority of votes for the City of Jackson, a majority of the customers and ratepayers.”
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