Magnolia Tribune
First Black Republican State Representative Since Reconstruction Elected in Mississippi
State Representative-elect Rodney Hall believes the color of his skin was not a factor for Republican voters. He knows it is his values and principles, the same shared by most conservatives, that helped him win the day.
Despite often being referred to as a suburb of Democrat-controlled Memphis, DeSoto County has become one of the most reliably conservative areas in Mississippi. It is there where voters in state House District 20 chose Rodney Hall as their next State Representative. When he is sworn in come January 2024, Hall will be the first black Republican to serve in the Mississippi House of Representatives since Reconstruction in the late 1800s.
Yet, while the win is without a doubt historic, Hall believes the color of his skin was not a factor for Republican voters in an area where roughly 60% of the population is white. Hall knows it is his values and principles, the same shared by most conservatives, that helped him win the day.
“When I started my race, I started with a few simple truths. There’s more that unites Mississippians than divides us. I don’t care what race, color, creed, nationality that you come from. And when you boil it down to the basics, most Mississippians desire freedom, they want the ability to grow and raise their family in a safe environment where there’s opportunity to achieve the American Dream,” Hall told Magnolia Tribune the day after his win. “That’s what the Republican Party stands for.”
He doesn’t think working Mississippians believe government is going to fix all of their problems, but “it can certainly get in the way and create a lot of problems.”
Hall said while it was obvious he was a black Republican candidate running for the state legislature – “the elephant in the room” for those outside the GOP – that fact was never mentioned on the campaign trail when talking with conservative voters or in meetings with Republican leaders seeking support.
“It was never in the calculus. Everybody got behind me and were supportive based on the values that we shared, the vision that we talked about, and the direction we wanted the state to go in, and work ethic and relationships,” Hall said. “I was very proud of that.”
Hall said he heard some in the minority community question why they should support his candidacy “when Republicans wouldn’t.” But Hall said that simply was not the case.
“They [Republicans] came out in droves. And I think it shows that if we continue to look for people of character, that have the desire to serve, we can accomplish a lot of great things,” Hall said.
The top Republicans leaders in the Mississippi House of Representatives welcomed the news of Hall’s win.
“It’s historic. It’s a wonderful development, I think. As I talk to many African Americans and they consider their political values and principles, so many of them line up with the Republican Party,” outgoing Speaker Philip Gunn said on Thursday. “And this is a young man who operates on those principles and values he truly believes in, and he chose to run for public office and offer to serve. I think that’s refreshing.”
Gunn’s Speaker Pro Tem, Rep. Jason White, also spoke with Magnolia Tribune about Hall’s win. White is the presumptive successor to Gunn, likely to be the House Republicans’ choice come the start of the 2024 session.
“We were extremely excited about his candidacy, then the campaign he ran, the positivity, the work he put in to connect with the voters, and that bore out on election night,” White said, adding that Hall understands conservative values and will be a good addition to their GOP caucus.
Mississippi Republican Party Chairman Frank Bordeaux was excited for Hall’s success, telling Magnolia Tribune late Wednesday that Mississippians of all backgrounds are finding a new home in the party “because our values are Mississippi’s values.”
“As the Democratic Party shifts farther to the left and adopts increasingly radical positions that do not align with the beliefs of Mississippians, the Mississippi Republican Party will continue to grow,” Bordeaux said. “That’s why we’re seeing such electoral success at every level of state and local government – because we truly represent the principles held by the people of our state.”
Bordeaux said he and the Republican Party are committed to continue to make inroads with voters they have historically not done a great job of reaching.
“Tuesday’s election shows we are doing just that,” Bordeaux said.
In fact, Hall wasn’t the only black Republican candidate to win in the Primary on Tuesday. Thomas Tuggle, formerly of the Mississippi Highway Patrol, will be the next Sheriff in DeSoto County and Wanda Robinson won the Webster County Circuit Clerk seat. Also of note, Donald Ray Thomas, the incumbent, again won the Republican nomination for Constable in Tishomingo County.
Mississippi’s Changing Political Landscape
Over the past 20 years, Mississippi has seen a major shift in its politics. Democrats, once the dominant political party in the Magnolia State for over a century, are now struggling to field and fund viable candidates at every level of government while Republicans continue to welcome party switchers and newcomers to the conservative movement at a rapid pace.
Since 2003, hundreds of elected officials – at times, slates of city and county officials – have exited the Democratic Party and joined with Republicans. In 2011, for the first time since Reconstruction, the Mississippi House of Representatives flipped to Republican control and elected a Republican Speaker. Now, there are supermajorities in both legislative chambers. Six years later, more municipal candidates were elected as Republicans than at any point in state history and that movement continued into the 2021 cycle. Then in 2019, Mississippians elected all Republicans to the eight statewide offices and elected majorities on the two state commissions again for the first time in generations.
On Tuesday, while official counts are not yet finalized, statewide Democratic Primary turnout was roughly 60% of what it was four years ago, down over 100,000 voters, while Republican turnout was close to 95% of where it was in 2019.
Depending on who you ask, the credit for the shifting political landscape in Mississippi lies somewhere between the enactment of tort reform in the early 2000s which effectively cut off huge payouts to trial lawyers – then the Democratic Party’s primary donor base – and the nationalization of politics from city halls to the state Capitol that has imposed a clear dividing line between the two parties.
Gone are the days of the “blue dog” Democrats that were able to straddle the fence as moderate conservatives without switching parties; the “yellow dog” Democrats won the intraparty struggle both on the state and national level, essentially forcing the social and fiscal conservatives in their ranks to look elsewhere for a political home.
Mississippi Republicans, with their “big tent” philosophy as preached fervently by former Governor Haley Barbour, swung the door wide open and welcomed the likeminded with open arms. As Barbour frequently said in the early days of the conservative movement in Mississippi, “My old boss Ronald Reagan used to say, ‘Somebody who agrees with me 80 percent of the time is a friend and ally, not a 20 percent traitor.’”
However, while various polls over the last 20 years have shown that the vast majority of Mississippians – no matter their race – share largely similar values and beliefs, Republicans have struggled to win the hearts and minds of many in the minority population. The Mississippi Republican Party has seen a few black candidates run for office over the years, with spotty wins on the local level. Yet, none have had success on the state level – until now.
That realization led the Mississippi Republican Party under the leadership of current Chairman Bordeaux to launch its Minority Outreach Committee in October 2022. Now State Representative-elect Hall was named the committee’s chairman at the launch.
“This isn’t about a rebranding; this isn’t about a changing of values,” Hall said in front of the Republican Party Headquarters in Jackson at the time. “Really, it’s about opening the door and saying, ‘Hey, your values are our values,’ and we’re going to meet you wherever you are and say, ‘Hey, let’s have the conversation and see where we align on the issues.’”
Three months later, Hall took up the mantle himself, putting his name on the line to bridge that divide and show everyone across Mississippi and beyond that Republican voters in the Magnolia State will indeed support conservative candidates based on their principles and shared values – no matter the color of that candidate’s skin.
Hall’s candidacy even drew endorsements from former Governors Barbour and Phil Bryant, as well as Congressman Trent Kelly and others.
About Rodney Hall
As State Representative-elect, Hall says he is focused on serving his constituents in House District 20.
“My first priority is going to be DeSoto County, making sure it becomes the leader in the state,” Hall said. “To accomplish that, we have to get taxes under control, setting good policy using other states as a guide.”
Hall also wants to streamline and cut bureaucratic red tape while ensuring public safety locally and across the state.
The incoming State Representative is a husband, a father, an attorney, and an Army Infantry Officer with nearly two decades of service.
He first enlisted as a military intelligence code linguist in the Mississippi Army National Guard at 17 years old, later becoming a U.S. Army Paratrooper and receiving his commission as an Infantry Officer in the 155th Armored Brigade Combat Team “Dixie Thunder” in 2008, where he was assigned as an Infantry Platoon Leader in the Mississippi Rifles Regiment.
He currently serves as the Battalion Executive Officer in the Mississippi Rifles Regiment.
Hall deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan as a Company Executive Officer. He later turned down a position in the Trump Administration to deploy with his men to Syria.
The Ole Miss Law School graduate also previously served as the Legislative Director for 1st District Mississippi Congressman Trent Kelly (R-MS) where he was the principal advisor on matters before U.S. House committees on House Armed Services, Veteran Affairs, Appropriations and more.
Hall says all of his experiences and training should enable him to effectively serve House District 20 while being part of a new chapter in Mississippi history. He is looking forward to being involved in building on the successes Republicans are seeing in voter outreach as well as the conservative policymaking that is moving the state in the right direction.
“We have challenges, absolutely. But when you talk about the values we have, the things we want to do to improve the state, our future, the opportunities are boundless,” Hall said. “A lot of people still talk about Mississippi being last in everything, it’s backwards and things of that nature. But when you look at it on the ground, when folks look at facts and not just opinion, we’ve been headed in the right direction for some time here, so we should applaud that and set the conditions where we can continue that success and multiply that success.”
The post First Black Republican State Representative Since Reconstruction Elected in Mississippi appeared first on Magnolia Tribune.
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By: Frank Corder
Title: First Black Republican State Representative Since Reconstruction Elected in Mississippi
Sourced From: magnoliatribune.com/2023/08/10/first-black-republican-state-representative-since-reconstruction-elected-in-mississippi/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=first-black-republican-state-representative-since-reconstruction-elected-in-mississippi
Published Date: Thu, 10 Aug 2023 19:55:03 +0000
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Magnolia Tribune
Staring mortality in the face at Christmas
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.
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.
The post Staring mortality in the face at Christmas appeared first on Magnolia Tribune.
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By: Russ Latino
Title: Staring mortality in the face at Christmas
Sourced From: magnoliatribune.com/2023/12/16/staring-mortality-in-the-face-at-christmas/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=staring-mortality-in-the-face-at-christmas
Published Date: Sat, 16 Dec 2023 15:05:22 +0000
Did you miss our previous article…
https://www.biloxinewsevents.com/magnolia-mornings-december-15-2023/
Magnolia Tribune
Magnolia Mornings: December 15, 2023
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
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
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.
The post Magnolia Mornings: December 15, 2023 appeared first on Magnolia Tribune.
…
By: Magnolia Tribune
Title: Magnolia Mornings: December 15, 2023
Sourced From: magnoliatribune.com/2023/12/15/magnolia-mornings-december-15-2023/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=magnolia-mornings-december-15-2023
Published Date: Fri, 15 Dec 2023 13:00:00 +0000
Magnolia Tribune
New water rates expected in Jackson come 2024; those who don’t pay face shut off
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.
The post New water rates expected in Jackson come 2024; those who don’t pay face shut off appeared first on Magnolia Tribune.
…
By: Sarah Ulmer
Title: New water rates expected in Jackson come 2024; those who don’t pay face shut off
Sourced From: magnoliatribune.com/2023/12/15/new-water-rates-expected-in-jackson-come-2024-those-who-dont-pay-face-shut-off/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new-water-rates-expected-in-jackson-come-2024-those-who-dont-pay-face-shut-off
Published Date: Fri, 15 Dec 2023 20:00:00 +0000
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