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Q & A with Southern PSC candidates Maxwell, Carr

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1 year ago

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Incumbent Southern District Public Service Commissioner Dane Maxwell is being challenged by Nelson Wayne Carr in the August 8th Republican Primary. See what the two have to say about utility rates, energy sources, and ratepayer advocacy.

The race for Southern District Public Service Commissioner will be decided in the Republican Primary on August 8th. Incumbent first term Commission Chairman Dane Maxwell is being challenged by political newcomer Nelson Wayne Carr in the South Mississippi contest.

No Democrats filed to run for Southern District PSC Commissioner.

Maxwell, the former Mayor of Pascagoula, won the Public Service Commission seat in 2019. He defeated one opponent in the GOP Primary by 36 points before besting the former Mayor of Ocean Springs, Democrat Connie Moran, in the General Election by over 25 points.

Maxwell went on be elected Chairman of the three-man Public Service Commission for this term.

Carr, a contractor and developer, threw his hat in the political ring for the first time when he qualified for this race.

About the Candidates

DANE MAXWELL

Political Experience:

  • Incumbent Southern District Public Service Commissioner
  • Chairman, Mississippi Public Service Commission
  • Former Mayor, City of Pascagoula

Employment:

  • Business owner
  • Retired Law Enforcement Officer

NELSON WAYNE CARR

Political Experience:

  • None

Employment:

  • Developer
  • Contractor

Question/Answer with the Candidates

Magnolia Tribune asked each candidate the same questions pertaining to hot button issues related to the Mississippi Public Service Commission (PSC). Below are their responses in full.

What is your view of how Commissioners should consider rate cases coming before the PSC from the regulated utilities?

MAXWELL

The Commission is charged with establishing rates that are just and reasonable. For our major utilities, we utilize Formula Rate Plans that adjust rates periodically. During those evaluations, the Commission and the Mississippi Public Utilities Staff work to ensure that costs incurred by the utilities are reasonable and necessary for the provision of their respective utility services.

As a regulator, our objective is to align the behavior and endeavors of our regulated utilities with the public interest. Stated differently, it is our job to establish a standard of utility service and hold the utilities accountable. When considering rate cases, and yes, rate increases, it is our job to ensure that dollars spent by the utilities are in pursuit of meeting the standards established by the Commission. As we demand a more reliable and resilient electric generating fleet and grid, a safer natural gas distribution system, and cleaner water and wastewater systems across the state, it is imperative that we exercise diligence to ensure that every dollar is spent in pursuit of meeting the standards established by the Commission and in furtherance of promoting the public interest.

CARR

First, I would like to point out that there are different factors that determine rate calculations for electric, gas, water and telecommunication providers.

Our Electric companies are required to submit yearly reports that then determine the rates that they may charge. Some of the factors include the cost of fuel, extreme weather events that required repairs to their infrastructure, and grid enhancements, all passed through to the customers and factored into the rates. So, for our electric companies, the rates are based on historical data and predictions for the future needs that base the rate.

For Water and Sewer, our providers are mostly rural companies with aging infrastructure. Currently, we have an out of state company, Great River Utility, coming in and purchasing many water and sewer companies, bringing them up to EPA standards but also raising the customer rates by as much as 4 times their old rate. While we need to improve our rural water and sewer utilities, I would want to take a closer look at the future of Mississippi Water in the hands of a company that is backed by a NYC hedge fund.

The federal government has released fifty billion dollars for infrastructure funds to improve water quality through their infrastructure bills, but the rural communities have been left out. Commissioners must consider all relevant factors in rate cases. I have named a few above. Commissioners are bound by what the law requires both of commissioners as well as the PSC at large, but also of utility companies.

In your view, how does solar play into the energy market in Mississippi?

MAXWELL

Utility Scale Solar has a role to play, but it is important that the integration of solar energy into the state does not have a detrimental effect on reliability or place unnecessary upward pressure on rates. In my 3 plus years as Chairman of the Commission, we have undertaken Entergy Mississippi and Mississippi Power Company’s first Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) cycle. The Commission’s IRP Rule is the process we use to ensure the utility’s generating fleet is meeting customer demand and following least cost resource principles. As I mentioned earlier, solar has a role to play but it is limited. Due to its intermittent nature, that is it cannot be dispatched like fossil fuel generating facilities, solar cannot serve as a base load fuel source.

What I do not support, and my record is clear, is policies promoting Net Metering. Last year, the Commission passed an updated Net Metering Rule that I did not support. The Rule and accompanying policies promote residential customers putting solar panels on their roofs and being compensated by the utility for excess generation at an inflated price; this inflated price is paid by everyone else. I have no issue with any Mississippian wanting to put solar panels on their roof. What I take issue with is everyone else having to pay more on their electric bill to improve the economics of their neighbor’s investment. I have and will continue to stand against these subsidies that result in higher electric bills.

CARR

Solar will have an increasing role in our Mississippi energy market. As technology improves and we learn how to store solar energy in batteries, it is becoming increasingly more reliable and affordable. Net metering is one way for customers to save on their utility bills, and there are customer incentives offered for that. There are a lot of Solar companies wanting to do business in Mississippi right now which promote competition.

In Docket No: 22-AD-07 interested Solar Companies were to file proposals or plans related to low-income communities and public entities where public lands are owned with strict guidelines. These guidelines include ‘Adherence with the Hire Mississippi Rule; Provide robust economic development opportunities; Provide quality employment and workforce development opportunities for Mississippi; Provide appropriate incentives and benefits for participation; Create market opportunities of private sector project development; and Provide for strong consumer protections, truth in billing, and provide for regulatory inspection of project performance and benefits.’

What is your position on the use of coal by the regulated utilities?

MAXWELL

First and foremost, I support least-cost resource planning. This ensures our utility’s electric generating fleets are built to provide maximum benefits for ratepayers. I also believe in fuel diversity, which can protect ratepayers in times of volatile fuel prices. As I mentioned earlier, these factors and considerations play out in the Commission’s Integrated Resource Planning Rule.

As an economic regulator, I support all resources, coal included. What I don’t support are federal policies that have negatively impacted the economics of coal as a resource type. For decades, the federal government, through Congress and the Environmental Protection Agency, have initiated a war on coal. Federal policies have detrimentally impacted the economics of coal as a resource type. Utilities and regulators alike are tasked with evaluating increased environmental compliance costs for coal generating facilities. These costs are ultimately passed on to ratepayers. Again, I support all resource types, coal included. It is just a shame the federal government decided to put its finger on the scale in favor of other resource types and to the detriment of coal.

CARR

The Environmental Protection Agency of the federal government is at war with coal. There are strict mandates that must be adhered to, and a timeline in place for compliance. Coal is a stable, reliable, affordable, sustainable fuel option. When solar and wind are not reliable, and gas price fluctuates often, it is a good option to have coal. I understand it is more expensive to operate a coal facility that is only needed as a backup, in an emergency, and that is why the Mississippi Power Company opted to close its coal fire plant at Plant Daniel. In this case, energy from Plant Daniel Coal plant cost was not justified when they have more affordable options and generate more energy than Mississippi customers currently use.

Would you support setting up an office of a consumer advocate to be a watchdog for ratepayers?

MAXWELL

It’s important to note that in Mississippi, we elect Public Service Commissioners. We are directly accountable to the ratepayers, and in my 3 plus years as Chairman of the Commission, I would state that I have served as a “watchdog” for the ratepayers of the Southern District. We also have the Mississippi Public Utilities Staff. The Staff is a separate agency that serves as an advisor to the Commission but also serves as a party in major cases before the Commission. The Staff serves a vital role in the state’s regulatory framework, and I think ratepayers are at the center of every decision we make.

It is also worth noting that the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office, Consumer Protection Division has appeared before the Commission in numerous dockets and performs this function. I am not opposed to exploring the idea of a separate consumer advocate specific to utility regulation in the state. That being said, I do not support growing government when the desired function is already being performed or has the ability to be performed by an existing agency.

CARR

The consumer advocate responsibility has been given to the PSC. It is a balancing act, protecting the consumer from exuberant utility rates while also allowing the utility companies to be profitable enough to cover their expenses, plan for expansion, and make a profit for their shareholders. A strong Utility company is better able to serve their customers. We will need to do a better job of informing the customers that they may file complaints and the complaints will be investigated by the commission staff, and public hearings will be held so that the customers may be heard. I understand that Mr. Maxwell as Chairman of the PSC has put a time limit of three minutes to hear from customers during hearings. I think that they should be allowed more time to be heard, especially since they travel from all over the state to Jackson, and that alone may be a hardship for seniors and fixed income families.

The main consumer concern I have is for rural water and sewer customers. Their water companies are aging and need to be brought up to EPA standards, which is expensive. Great River Utility, a Missouri company, is buying up many water companies in rural Mississippi, and raising their rate by as much as four times. There are millions of dollars in federal funds allocated to Mississippi, much of it for water and sewer upgrades, that need to be monitored and allocated in a fair and transparent manner. It would be a shame for an out of state company to take the funds allocated to Mississippi back to Missouri.

How will you work with the regulated utilities to ensure grid stability and proper maintenance?

MAXWELL

Over the last 3 plus years as Chairman of the Commission, I have worked with Entergy Mississippi and Mississippi Power Company to ensure we have a safe, reliable, and resilient electric generating fleet and grid. The Commission has well established processes and filing requirements that provide visibility into what our utilities are doing to ensure the grid is reliable and properly maintained.

Entergy Mississippi and Mississippi Power Company file Annual Energy Delivery Plans that detail their efforts and investments related to grid reliability and resiliency, and vegetation management. The Commission and the Mississippi Public Utilities Staff review these filings to ensure the utility’s efforts are consistent with best practices and industry standards.

During this term, the Commission worked with Entergy Mississippi on a program called “Resiliency Ramp Up” which accelerated the replacement of wooden structures on the utility’s transmission system with concrete or steel structures. This program will result in a more reliable transmission network for Entergy. In light of more frequent extreme weather events, the Commission will continue to discuss with our utilities what more can be done to decrease outage minutes and improve restoration times. No different than considering rates, from a reliability and resiliency standpoint, it is our job to establish a standard of utility service and hold the utilities accountable.

CARR

Our grid is the largest machine in the United States, crossing state and country lines. There are many owners of the grid, many users of the grid, we are all customers of the grid. It was designed and built over decades as our nation grew and expanded. We take the grid for granted, but now it is imperative that we look into the future and be very deliberate about how to maintain, secure and upgrade our grid.

As an electrician by trade and a developer, I understand the complexities of adding onto the grid. It was not originally designed for Solar and wind generation, but we have experts in the Utility and Energy field that are making that happen. The best plan will benefit all customers with reliability, affordability, transparency and efficiency.

However, if the grid is going to be overloaded as the federal government forces the transition from gasoline to electric vehicles, and the overwhelming burden that change will force on grids nationwide, then we need to look at modular nuclear power units that can be built closer to where end users are. I will work with all regulated utilities to ensure we have done all we can do for the future of Mississippi.

#####

Magnolia Tribune has asked similar questions of the candidates seeking Public Service Commissioner seats in the Central and Northern Districts. The responses from the Central District candidates can be read here while the responses from the Northern District candidates can be read here.

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Staring mortality in the face at Christmas

Published

11 months ago

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December 16, 2023

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My friend Jarrod is dying after an eight year battle with cancer. He’s lived a life worth celebrating, one that has drawn people to Christ.

I was going about my business this week when I received a text that stopped me in my tracks. A college friend was being moved to hospice care.

Jarrod Egley was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in early 2017. In the fall of 2018, tests revealed the cancer had spread to his lungs and Jarrod’s cancer was classified as Stage IV.

For almost eight years from the date of the original diagnosis, he’s fought. Through surgeries, radiation, endless rounds and cycles of chemotherapy, and experimental immunotherapies, he’s fought.

Last year, I flew out to California and spent some time with Jarrod and his wife, Emily. We sat outside one night. He acknowledged to me that it was not a question of ‘if’, but ‘when’ the cancer would claim his life. I told him I was sorry, because what else is there to say?

We talked about our faith, about the trials of Job, about Jacob wrestling with God, about Paul’s affliction. But mostly we reflected on our time together in school, on the good things, and the mundane things, that happened since.

Jarrod and I met at Tulane University. One Sunday morning in the Spring of my freshman year, I rose from my dorm room bed, dressed, and began walking down Saint Charles Avenue in New Orleans with no particular agenda. I walked until I came across First Baptist Church and the thought flickered in the vacuous recesses of my brain to enter.

Some would say it was a lark. The Calvinist in me says providence. The walk that morning changed the trajectory of my time at Tulane and my life on the whole. Intervarsity Christian Fellowship and the Baptist Collegiate Ministry became central to my life and put me in regular league with Jarrod. I met him first at the BCM and we ultimately ended up attending church together.

Jarrod was a faithful servant on and off campus. He helped organize a group of us that would weekly make our way down to the Esplanade seawall on the backside of the French Quarter to feed the homeless. On Friday nights, he could be found at chapel with a small cadre of students foregoing Bourbon Street for early 2000s worship music.

Jarrod was a loyal friend in those years. Never rude or biting. Not prone to an insult for an easy laugh. Persistently encouraging. An engineering student, his mind worked linearly and was oriented to problem solving. There were never a lot of wasted words — always a lot of deliberative questions when he disagreed or did not understand a point. He exhibited intelligence, empathy, and the kind of moral conviction that sets someone apart.

He also had a wry and dry sense of humor and a penchant for beating people at Madden football. He was fair-to-midland on the ultimate frisbee pitch. Along the way, there were crawfish boils, Mardi Gras outtings, poorly attended Tulane football games, and more than a decent amount of wing eating.

After college, I lost touch with Jarrod. He moved back to his home state of California. He got married to his college sweetheart, who could not have anticipated her husband’s journey, but has been a steady and constant helpmate throughout. Jarrod became a very successful engineer and a bourbon connoisseur. One of his bucket list trips took him to Kentucky, where he got to meet and became friends with bourbon “Hall of Famer” Freddie Johnson of Buffalo Trace acclaim.

Jarrod at Buffalo Trace Distillery (Spring 2022).

Sitting in his backyard nearly 20 years after graduating from Tulane, I saw many of the same qualities I had grown to admire when we were students together. I saw a husband who doted on and supported Emily’s passions. But I also saw someone whose body had been beaten to hell and back, who was tired, and who, like Jacob, had been wrestling with God. We quickly fell back into friendship, which perhaps is the mark of good friendship.

We all have aspirations in our youth — for the kind of spouse or parent we might be, for what we might accomplish, for what we might experience. Along the way, dreams are satisfied, modified, or they die on the vine. The clock inevitably works against all of us. That night in Oceanside, California, Jarrod, a numbers guy, saw that time was not on his side. He believed, as we all would, that he still had more to give, more impact to be made, and more things to see and experience.

After that trip, Jarrod and I stayed in touch, most frequently triggered by news of his cancer. It has been mostly the bad variety in recent months. Now spread throughout his body, down to his bones, he has lived in constant pain for months. Not even a steady diet of morphine and an implanted pain pump solve for it. Jarrod’s been hospitalized twelve times just in 2023.

But his matter of fact sense of humor and way of seeing the world remains in tact. So too does his faith that despite these trials, he has always been safe in the hands of Christ.

There are people in the world who believe that life is random, disordered, and without reason. I am not among them. I think my friend is staring mortality in the face at Christmas for a reason.

For thousands of years before Christ came, there was darkness and despair. Sin and shame gripped the hearts of men. Until one holy night, God, in His infinite love, mercy and wisdom, sent His son to save. Jesus is the light of the world and the hope of man. He has won victory over death and Jarrod’s will not be the exception. Jesus came for Jarrod, and for you.

For thousands of years since Jesus’s death, burial, and resurrection, His disciples have been used as divine instruments to point the way to God. Jarrod is among them. If life expectancies were the measure, Jarrod would be at the midway point for most people. He’s made a lifetime of impact for the Kingdom and on other people.

So, to my friend Jarrod, you were placed here with a purpose. You have run your race. You are loved. And when this chapter closes, you will hear “well done, my good and faithful servant.” There is no greater evidence of a life well lived.

While Jarrod and Emily have been fortunate to have health insurance, their portion of the medical bills so far in 2023 have eclipsed $30,000, and Emily is facing additional uncovered expenses during Jarrod’s hospice care, including a night nurse that costs over $400 a night. If you would like to help defray the cost, a contribution can be made at their Go Fund Me page.

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Published Date: Sat, 16 Dec 2023 15:05:22 +0000

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Magnolia Mornings: December 15, 2023

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11 months ago

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December 15, 2023

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Important state and national stories, market and business news, sports and entertainment, delivered in quick-hit fashion to start your day informed.

In Mississippi

1. Laurin St. Pe’ named CEO of Singing River Health System

Laurin St. Pe

The Board of Trustees of Singing River Health System announced the immediate appointment of Laurin St. Pe’ as the Chief Executive Officer on Thursday.

“We are thrilled to announce Laurin St. Pe as the new CEO of Singing River,” said Steve Ates, Board President in a statement. “His wealth of healthcare experience and proven track record make him the ideal leader to steer our health system toward its next phase of growth and success.”

St. Pe’, who has been serving as Interim CEO since July 2023, said he is honored to assume the role of CEO at Singing River. He has worked at Singing River as Administrator of Singing River Health System’s Pascagoula Hospital and Gulfport Hospital, in addition to overseeing program service lines throughout the entire system to his subsequent appointment as Chief Operating Officer of Singing River.

The health system says St. Pe played a crucial role in the financial revitalization of Singing River Health System while steering the organization toward financial stability.

2. Gulfport-Biloxi airport, Stennis evacuated after threats

The Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport was evacuated on Thursday morning “out of an abundance of caution,” airport officials said, after receiving an emailed threat to certain transportation entities across the state.

The airport was thoroughly security swept, cleared and reopened in just over two hours. Gulfport-Biloxi is now operating regularly.

The threat was also sent to Stennis International Airport. Their staff and personnel were also evacuated until the facilities could be swept and cleared.

Any passenger whose travel was affected by the evacuation is encouraged to contact their respective air carrier.

3. Cassidy arrested in Iowa for beheading Satanic Temple statue

Former Mississippi congressional and legislative candidate Michael Cassidy was arrested this week in Iowa for beheading a statue at the state’s Capitol erected by The Satanic Temple.

Cassidy reportedly decapitated the statue and turned himself to police on Thursday. He was charged with fourth degree criminal mischief. He then started an online legal defense fund where he’s raised upwards of $20,000 as of Thursday night, according to his X account.

4. “Serial fraudster” ordered to cease offering investments into companies

According to the Mississippi Secretary of State’s office, on October 26, 2023, Secretary Michael Watson and the Securities Division issued an order against Stephone N. Patton. The SOS says Patton is a serial fraudster with multiple criminal convictions in Mississippi and Florida.

Through business filings with the SEC and Mississippi, Patton has held himself to be the CEO of various companies, including Star Oil and Gas Company, Inc., North Gulf Energy Corporation, Inc., Patton Oilfield Services, Inc., and Patton Farms, LLC.

The SOS says using these business filings and company websites, Patton claimed to have raised hundreds of billions of dollars through investment opportunities. Through investigative efforts and collaboration with the SEC, the SOS discovered none of Patton’s companies are operational, have any assets, or generate any revenues. Account records show Patton spent investors’ funds almost as soon as he received them on personal expenses. The total amount of known investments made to Patton’s fraudulent companies is over $80,000. Further, none of Patton’s investment offerings have been registered or notice filed with the Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office.

The SOS order requires Patton to cease and desist from offering investments with his companies, requiring Patton to permanently deactivate his companies’ websites to prevent any further dissemination of his false or misleading information. Patton is also ordered to pay an administrative penalty of $25,000 to the Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office for these violations, in addition to restitution owed to all his Mississippi investors.

National News & Foreign Policy

1. Congressional retirements mounting as 2024 election cycle nears

Retirement and departure announcements are piling up ahead of the start to the 2024 election cycle. The New York Times has developed a Retirement Tracker that currently shows 22 Democrats and 11 Republicans who are in Congress now will not be seeking re-election next year.

“Dozens of members of Congress have announced plans to leave their seats in the House of Representatives, setting a rapid pace for congressional departures, with more expected as the 2024 election draws closer,” the NY Times reports. “Given Republicans’ razor-thin House majority, the wave of exits has the potential to lead to a significant shake-up next year.”

You can find the tracker here.

2. Texas, Daily Wire, The Federalist sue U.S. State Department over media censorship

The U.S. State Department’s Global Engagement Center has come under fire as Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton along with The Daily Wire and The Federalist have filed a federal lawsuit alleging that the department funded technology that could “render disfavored press outlets unprofitable.” They claim that the department has helped social media – Facebook, YouTube and X (formerly Twitter) – to censor free speech while funding technologies used to censor right-leaning news outlets such as theirs.

New Civil Liberties Alliance is representing The Daily Wire and The Federalist. Paxton and the outlets claim the Global Disinformation Index (GDI), a British think tank, received a $100,000 grant from the State Department in 2021, and NewsGuard, which rates the “misinformation” levels of news outlets, received $25,000 from the State Department in 2020, according to the lawsuit.

According to the State Department’s website, the Global Engagement Center’s mission is to direct, lead, synchronize, integrate, and coordinate U.S. Federal Government efforts to recognize, understand, expose, and counter foreign state and non-state propaganda and disinformation efforts aimed at undermining or influencing the policies, security, or stability of the United States, its allies, and partner nations.

As reported by Reuters, the lawsuit cited a GDI-produced list from December 2022 that ranked The Daily Wire and The Federalist as among the 10 “riskiest sites” for news while the least-risky included The New York Times, Associated Press and NPR. Reuters notes that the lawsuit alleges such “blacklists” are reducing revenues to The Daily Wire and The Federalist along with their visibility on social media and ranking results from browser searches.

Sports & Entertainment

1. SEC releases 2024 schedules

Wednesday evening, the Southeastern Conference released the 2024 football schedules for its member schools, including of interest in the Magnolia State the schedules for Ole Miss and Mississippi State.

It is the first schedule that includes new conference members University of Oklahoma and University of Texas, bringing the conference to 16 schools. Each SEC team will play eight conference football games plus at least one required opponent from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac 12 or major independent, each team will have two open dates.

The 2024 season will be the first year the SEC will play a schedule without divisional competition since 1991. The top two teams in the league standings based on winning percentage will play in the 33rd SEC Football Championship Game in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Saturday, December 7.

2. White, Jesiolowski, Jones honored by MAIS

John White

The Midsouth Association of Independent Schools (MAIS) in Mississippi, comprised of non-public schools, announced this week that Madison-Ridgeland Academy’s senior quarterback John White was named the 6A Player of the Year while Hartfield’s Reed Jesiolowski and Hartfield Chris Jones were named the MAIS 6A Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, respectively.

All three have committed to play college football at the University of Mississippi.

White is Mississippi’s all-time leader in career passing yards with 15,259 yards, a record he broke during the 2023 season.

MAIS, like the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) for public schools, is broken down into classifications, from 1A to 6A. However, MHSAA added a 7A this season.

Markets & Business

1. Consumer retail sales up as energy, gas prices move down

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported this week that the Consumer Price Index rose 0.1% in November after being unchanged in October. Retail sales rose 0.3% in November after rising 0.2% in October, meaning consumers continue to spend at the start of the holiday season.

The CPI or inflation rate is 3.1%, higher than the Federal Reserve target of 2% but below the 9% peak in 2022 which reached a 40-year high.

As for the energy index, BLS reported that it fell 2.3% in November after decreasing 2.5% in October. The gasoline index decreased 6% in November, following a 5% decrease in the previous month.

The index for fuel oil fell in November, decreasing 2.7%. However, the natural gas index rose 2.8% over the month after rising 1.2% the previous month. The index for electricity also rose 1.4% in November, after increasing 0.3% in October.

The energy index fell 5.4% over the past 12 months. The gasoline index decreased 8.9%, the natural gas index declined 10.4%, and the fuel oil index fell 24.8% over this 12-month span.

2. Week’s market rally continues into Friday

At close of trading on Thursday, the U.S. markets continued the week’s rally, pushing the Dow up 158 points to 37,248 while the Nasdaq and S&P also made gains, 27 points and 12 points, respectively, to close at 14,761 and 4,719.

The record high for the Dow on Thursday moved futures up 102 points.

According to CNBC, the major averages are headed for their seventh straight positive week. As of Thursday, the Dow is higher on the week by 2.8%. The S&P 500 is up by 2.5%, while the Nasdaq Composite rose 2.5% this week.

Stocks rallied after the Federal Reserve left rates unchanged this week while members look towards cuts in the new year and beyond.

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New water rates expected in Jackson come 2024; those who don’t pay face shut off

Published

11 months ago

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December 15, 2023

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Interim Third-Party Director Ted Henifin said this week that only about 59% of the City of Jackson’s water customers are paying their bills.

JXN Water has announced new rates and fees coming in 2024. Those who are not paying will be at risk of shut offs.

The company, which was established by federal appointed interim Third-Party Director Ted Henifin, has been overseeing the city’s water system for the better part of a year.

Officials estimated that the average cost for water in the city was $76 per month for residents. Henifin clarified that JXN water will not attempt to recoup any charges prior to November 29, 2022, and will work with those who have failed to pay since that time.

He said only about 59 percent of the city’s water customers are paying their bills.

“You can’t forgive bills, so we have to be creative in how we part that,” said Henifin in reference to Mississippi’s laws that prevent giving away water.

According to a release by JXN Water announcing the rate changes, residents in single family households with small meters that use up to 748 gallons daily would see a bill increase of roughly .30 cents per day. Research indicates that the average U.S. family uses 300 gallons per day.

SNAP customers will have a new rate tier that could lower their bill by up to .69 cents per day, on average.

“Those who need to save the most benefit from saving money by drinking tap water. This new rate structure makes water affordability possible for 12,500 JXN Water customers who receive SNAP benefits,” said Henifin in the release.

Read more about the anticipated rate changes here.

New fees will also be implemented, including a new service fee of $50, service deposit of $100, returned check fee of $25, service restoration fee of $100, and meter tampering charge of $500. 

JXN Water has continued to encourage residents to use the water, with Henifin going on the record in a federal status hearing saying that the water “was safe to drink.”

More conversation regarding the billing process is expected to come at next week’s Jackson City Council meeting.

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By: Sarah Ulmer
Title: New water rates expected in Jackson come 2024; those who don’t pay face shut off
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Published Date: Fri, 15 Dec 2023 20:00:00 +0000

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