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Friday ‘Sip: Property Taxes, Media Glass Houses, Mostly Peaceful Protests

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2 years ago

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The latest stories that caught our eye from across Mississippi and beyond. So grab a cup of coffee, sink back in your chair, and enjoy.

You Have to Pass the Bill to Find Out What is In It

One has to wonder if Mississippi Senators understood the MAEP revisions they unanimously voted for this week. Particularly, if they understood that they were voting to force higher property taxes in some of their own districts.

Schools are funded through three sources—federal, state, and local dollars. The Mississippi Adequate Education Program (“MAEP”) is the formula used by the state to determine how much money districts should receive.

Most of the MAEP dollars are state dollars funded by the various taxes collected from citizens. But local districts must also contribute to funding MAEP. Districts must contribute a minimum of 28 mills (a unit of property tax).

There is a caveat, though. Under current law, the local contribution to MAEP is capped at 27 percent. In effect, this means that a district that can collect 27 percent of MAEP at 22 mills is not required to go up to 28 mills. It also means that a district with lower property values, taxing at 28 mills, is not required to go up to 27 percent.

If that’s clear as Mississippi mud, here’s an example. The current MAEP formula calls for about $70.1 million in state and local funding for Madison County Schools. At 27 percent, the District’s capped contribution is $18.9 million.

The MAEP revisions passed by the Mississippi Senate included raising the cap on local contributions from 27 percent to 29.5 percent. That’s a nearly 10 percent increase. Applied to the example of Madison County Schools, it would raise the local contribution to $20.7 million, a roughly $1.8 million bump from current levels.

District contributions to education funding come from property taxes. The rule change passed by the Senate would require districts impacted by the cap increase to either reallocate existing tax dollars to cover (stop funding other things) or raise property taxes.

Since New Jersey outfit Ed Build came to town in 2017, the argument for raising or removing the cap is to force districts with higher property values to cover more of their costs locally. The logic is that more state dollars can then be sent to districts with lower property values.

The idea is the closest thing to the “rich paying their fair share” in Mississippi. It is ungrounded from the reality that wealthier areas of the state already pay the bulk of state taxes that are then redistributed throughout the state.

Attempts to alter the 27 percent rule scuttled hopes of funding formula reforms in 2017. In 2018, a funding formula bill appeared without the change to the 27 percent rule, but it still could not get over the finish line in the Mississippi Senate. That year, much of the opposition came from progressive forces opposed to anything not called MAEP.

The Senators I’ve spoken to have all voiced three common things about the vote this week:

  • They weren’t given a chance to really dig into it before having to vote
  • It was explained to them as a simple technical revision
  • They knew the House would kill it

READ MORE: All Hail MAEP, Patron Saint of Education Funding

Mostly Peaceful Protests

I have a confession: I do not watch cable news. My blood pressure thanks me for it. But I do occasionally read about it, or stumble onto clips on that toxic maelstrom known as Twitter.

Tucker Carlson made some news this week when he obtained and shared video from the now infamous January 6th Capitol Riots.

Getty Images

I suppose the footage shows that not everyone who went inside the Capitol that day was violent or destructive. I suppose it also shows that Capitol Police had different levels of comfort with the intrusion, or at a minimum, different tactics in handling the intrusion. The Shaman guy was allowed to pray from the Senate chamber. (This is a normal look, right? The kind of fella you’d bring home to mother.)

But I’m not sure exactly what any of that proves. To my knowledge, no one ever said that everyone in the building that day posed a threat. The fact that some people did not pose a threat is not proof that no one posed a threat.

Everyone in the Capitol that day was there as a byproduct of some protesters using force to gain entry. Violence occurred. People were hurt. Property was damaged. The peaceful transfer of power, a hallmark of stable democracies, was interrupted.

That the Shaman guy was allowed to pray from the floor of the Senate does not mean he should have been on the floor of the Senate. It may well just mean that Capitol Police were attempting to avoid further escalation.

CNN

At best, the footage shown on Carlson’s show speaks to the hypocrisy of tribalism. CNN was rightly panned for its “Fiery But Mostly Peaceful Protests” chyron against a backdrop that looked like “Operation Shock and Awe” had come to Kenosha, Wisconsin. The station was attempting to normalize a clearly chaotic and violent situation as cover for those involved.

Carlson’s coverage may well be useful in exposing that hypocrisy: “If you can say it was mostly peaceful in Kenosha, Wisconsin, I can say it was mostly peaceful on January 6th.”

But normalizing bad behavior by comparing it to other bad behavior should not be the standard. “He did it first” is the cry of 5-year-olds. As a society, we should be comfortable pointing out bad behavior, regardless of whether the offender is in our tribe. What happened on January 6th was wrong. Perhaps the coverage has been dramatized or selective. Perhaps it has been leveraged for political gain. But it was wrong. Full stop.

The Supremes Rule

The Supremes

No, no. Not those Supremes, though they were pretty darn good. I’m talking about the ones who wear funny robes to court.

There are so many stories emerging from Jackson and so much discussion about how to fix its problems, it would be easy to forget the garbage collection feud. Jackson Mayor Chokwe Lumumba wanted to hire Richard’s Disposal to pick up the City’s garbage. The City Council said “thanks, but no thanks. We like Waste Management.” The Mayor hired Richard’s Disposal anyway.

The maneuvering triggered a series of lawsuits. Richard’s Disposal wanted to get paid. The Mayor wanted the courts to say he had the authority to “veto” the City Council turning down his request.

Yesterday, the Mississippi Supreme Court took a bite at that argument. The Court ruled against Mayor Lumumba finding that a mayor cannot “veto” a decision by a city council not to act. That this even had to be decided by a court is somewhat ludicrous. It would be like saying a governor could veto a decision by the legislature not to pass a bill.

Glass Houses, Stones & Whatmenot

This week, Mississippi Today Editor Adam Ganucheau encouraged me on Twitter to be more diverse and open-minded, and not boxed in by “interest group labels.” This admonishment came after I tweeted about conservatism. I am a traditional conservative. I won’t hide from that or pretend that I am not. I do think the term has lost most meaning, though, in a state that labels everything “conservative.”

On the flipside, there is no inherent nobility in progressive members of the media avoiding the label of progressive when all of their writing makes clear that is their perspective. As an example, here are the four times Mr. Ganucheau has published his writing as Mississippi Today “Editorials.” They all evince a certain political perspective:

Mississippi Today “Editorials”

One synopsis of these pieces might be: “Republicans bad.” A more fulsome synopsis might be “Republicans are racist, they are sexists killing babies and moms, they have purposefully broken the democratic process, and they are thieves.” It’s fine for Mr. Ganucheau to believe these things, or even to write sensational or innuendo-driven headlines. Following them with high-minded calls for diversity of thought may be a bit of a stretch, but I’m not the hypocrisy police.

In addition to being conservative, I am a pluralist. I believe we benefit as a society from a great diversity of viewpoints. It’s candidly one of the reasons I started Magnolia Tribune—because I felt like media coverage in the state was somewhat myopic. It is also one of the reasons Magnolia Tribune separates our news coverage from opinion commentary, and why we host a wide range of perspectives, including through our Point-Counterpoint series. A robust marketplace of ideas allows people to have the necessary information to decide for themselves.

Donna Ladd, Publisher of Mississippi Free Press, also took aim at a Magnolia Tribune article this week, once again, on Twitter:

So much to unpack in this tweet. I was the author of the offending the piece. Yes, I was born white and male. I am not sure what that has to do with offering analysis of a political race. I did learn a long time ago that we should not discriminate against people on the basis of immutable characteristics, but it seems like what she is saying is that my perspective should be discounted or marginalized because of how I was born.

If I were an Asian woman, and Ms. Ladd led with “more horse-race reporting by an Asian woman,” most people would view that as both racist and sexist. There seems to be a bit of a double standard at play. This kind of identity politics often prevents real conversation. It puts the speaker in the position of explaining why he or she has the right to have an opinion versus debating the actual ideas at hand. It is a cheap and lazy tactic. Ms. Ladd also has white males on her staff that write about politics. Hopefully, that’s not a problem for her.

Notably, the article talked about three separate policy pain points, not just the recent passage of legislation prohibiting sex change treatment for minors. In addressing demographic challenges for Presley, it discussed both racial divides within the Democratic Party and “rural versus urban” divides. The article quoted Democratic Party Chairman Tyree Irving and Democratic operatives like James Carville on these issues. It was a pretty straight take of some of the difficulties in winning as a Democrat in Mississippi. It also explored some of Presley’s very real strengths.

READ MORE: Presley’s Path to Governor’s Mansion is Narrow

For the record, I’m glad that both Mississippi Today and Mississippi Free Press are on the field. Both help ensure that in a state that is “supermajority” Republican, there are outlets sharing progressive perspectives. That’s a good thing. There are also very good reporters at both outlets. For example, I’ve always thought Geoff Pender at Mississippi Today calls things pretty fairly and think Ashton Pittman at Mississippi Free Press tries really hard to get to the heart of issues. Pender and Pittman aren’t alone.

Truth be told, this media war stuff is pretty silly, but I also understand why other outlets would want to undermine Magnolia Tribune in its infancy.

The post Friday ‘Sip: Property Taxes, Media Glass Houses, Mostly Peaceful Protests appeared first on Magnolia Tribune.

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By: Russ Latino
Title: Friday ‘Sip: Property Taxes, Media Glass Houses, Mostly Peaceful Protests
Sourced From: magnoliatribune.com/2023/03/10/friday-sip-mar-7/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=friday-sip-mar-7
Published Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2023 15:29:07 +0000

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Staring mortality in the face at Christmas

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1 year 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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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

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Magnolia Tribune

Magnolia Mornings: December 15, 2023

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1 year 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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By: Magnolia Tribune
Title: Magnolia Mornings: December 15, 2023
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Published Date: Fri, 15 Dec 2023 13:00:00 +0000

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

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1 year 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
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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