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Mississippi economic climate shows promise as post-pandemic “normal” still unclear

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1 year ago

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Mississippi families continue to feel the strain of a difficult economy, but some say the state is positioned to “weather the storm” better than others.

With rising inflation, increasing interest rates and stress on the wallet with every purchase, many Americans are wondering when there might be relief. Since the pandemic, it is unclear what will the new economic “normal” be.

The economic climate for Mississippi, as a whole, shows signs of improvement, but also challenges that must be tackled for long-term growth.

The state’s Gross Domestic Product is also increasing. The nominal GDP came in at $143 billion as of the first quarter of 2023 and the real GDP as of June 2023 was $105.117 billion. With unemployment rates down to a record low of 3.0% jobs are being filled and more Mississippians are working, creating increased economic activity.

There are only three states—Louisiana, West Virginia and South Carolina—with a higher job opening rate according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The agency estimates 88,000 open jobs in Mississippi.

Industry Strength

According to GDP data Manufacturing is bringing in the largest amount of any industry in the state, at $17.387 billion or roughly 17 percent of the state economy.

Since the 2003 opening of Nissan in Canton, the automotive industry has become an important piece of Mississippi’s manufacturing strength. Major investments have been announced in the last year for production of electric vehicles to continue to grow that industry.

Mississippi companies are not just building land vehicles but continuing to provide aquatic machinery. Ingalls Shipbuilding has long been an anchor in the Pascagoula community. Across the Mississippi Gulf Coast to the west, NASA’s investment in the Stennis Space Center has made room for new private sector investment and partnership in aerospace.

Additional Aerospace investments area also being made. Stennis is involved in NASA’s plan to return astronauts to the moon and potentially Mars. Companies like Relativity Space and Rocket Lab are a part of the effort to open the Archimedes Engine Test Stand at Stennis.

“The Archimedes Test Complex will be used to test engines for the reusable Neutron rocket. New developments like these together with the long-term success of other aerospace companies like Aerojet Rocketdyne and Rolls-Royce are a testament to just how important Stennis is to our state and the whole country,” said Mississippi Development Authority Deputy Executive Director Laura Hipp.

According to State Economist Corey Miller, the state’s manufacturing sector has been a big part of Mississippi’s economic growth story. Beyond gross domestic product and employment, this industry impacts nearly all other industries in the state. Miller added that there are usually other businesses that spring up around manufacturers, creating a multiplier effect.

“We had a $1 billion in corporate income tax revenue and we’ve never seen more than $800 million in that sector,” said State Economist Corey Miller.

Before manufacturing, agriculture long sat as the state’s largest industry. Its direct and indirect impact is still expansive.

Mississippi’s economy has long been associated with farming. While the agriculture market continues to evolve, it remains a strong component of the state economy, accounting for nearly $10 billion of the state’s GDP.

With much of Mississippi considered rural, 65 of 82 counties, there is an abundance of timberland and fertile soil for crop growth and livestock. The Mississippi Department of Agriculture estimates that there are over 34,000 farms and over 10 million acres of farmland in the state.

According to the Mississippi Development Authority (MDA), one area of agribusiness expansion in recent years has been in the timber industry. MDA credits this expansion with the investment of hundreds of millions of dollars, as well as thousands of jobs.

“Hood Industries and Huber Engineered Woods for example, both announced this spring the locations of new manufacturing operations in our state,” said Hipp. “Combined, these projects are generating nearly $620 million in new investments and more than 420 jobs.”

Other industries that comprise a sizable portion of Mississippi’s economy include real estate and professional services. Because of Mississippi’s high level of dependency on federal dollars, government spending on health care, education, and assistance factors heavily into the state’s GDP.

Improving business climate for the future 

Mississippi continues to show strong support for both established and new businesses. Through programs like MFLEX, which provides special incentives to targeted businesses, state leaders have attempted to position Mississippi as a place for companies to relocate.

According to MDA, the state works to streamline the process by removing red tape obstacles and offering a transportation network that is more ideal for companies with extensive shipping needs.

Hipp points to national attention Mississippi has received in its development of industrial parks. The Mississippi Legislature allocated $80 million to date in order to help establish these sites in communities throughout the state. She says the department also believes this is one area the state needs to have continued investment in order to grow the business sector.

“We take care of all due diligence on the front end, including determining necessary infrastructure and handling site prep, so companies are ready to turn dirt once they choose the location best for them. It is groundbreaking legislation that was passed in 2020, and it will reap dividends for years to come,” said Hipp.

Derek Easley with BIPEC said their organization focuses on looking into legislation that is positive for the business climate.

“Under the current administration, and the last couple, the business community has really found ways to improve through each legislative session,” said Easley. “This matters for companies who ware looking to expand their business here.”

In recent years, there has been a focus on tax reform policies, which include efforts to eliminate the individual income tax. Easley said many business owners are of the opinion that if it can be phased out responsibly, it should be.

The phase out of the franchise tax when Governor Tate Reeves was serving as Lt. Governor, Easley said, was particularly beneficial for Mississippi businesses.

This past year, the Legislature changed a tax rule to allow companies making a capital expenditure to do full and immediate expensing instead of counting for the expense on a depreciation schedule. Proponents of the change argued that it should encourage businesses to make more investments in the state and to speed up planned investments.

Work Force Dynamics

According to the most recent data, unemployment rates are down to the lowest numbers ever seen in Mississippi. As of July, unemployment was at 3.0% with less people drawing on the assistance than before the pandemic in 2019.

While more Mississippians are working, business experts have still expressed concerns with the labor force.

State Director for the NFIB Dawn McVea said the low rate is a “mixed bag” for businesses. 

“It means people are working. However, it can make it difficult if you’re trying to hire. Our latest national Optimism Index survey said 61% of owners hired or tried to hire workers last month. Of those, 92% reported few or no qualified applicants,” said McVea.

In the most recent Small Business Optimism Survey they found that 42% of owners had positions they couldn’t fill. Those jobs fell mostly in construction, manufacturing and transportation sectors.

The state’s labor force struggle is represented in its labor force participation rate, which is at just over 54 percent, making it the worst in the nation.

Unemployment rates consider those who are actively looking for work but cannot find jobs. The labor force participation rate measures everyone over 16 who is actively working. It gives a more complete picture of the percentage of people who have either chosen not to look for work, or who have aged out of work, in a state.

Shifts in population can also impact where residents are able to work and over the last 10 years most Mississippi counties have shrunk in size. Only 20% have increased population over that time period and those primarily tend to be in the far north or south, with Madison and Rankin counties also increasing in size.

Miller said people tend to move where they can find employment and other services.

This has left areas in the Delta with double digit population decreases in the last decade. Hinds County, and Jackson in particular, have also seen decreases in size.

“That’s kind of a detriment to the overall state economy because that’s our largest city in Mississippi and it really does take urban areas to drive a lot of economic growth,” said Miller.

Miller said “we still have a relatively tight labor market,” though “it has loosened a little bit, both in Mississippi and the nation.” He emphasized there are still issues with employees finding skilled workers in some areas.

Miller noted the state recovered very well immediately after the pandemic, but that growth has begun to slow slightly since then. Experts had predicted a slowdown in early 2023 that did not manifest. State revenues finished $700 million higher than estimated for the fiscal year that ended on June 30th.

With people continuing to work and inflation forcing salary increases, it has allowed people to continue holding their spending power which has moved the economy to what was expected this time last year.

“Overall, inflation tends to have a positive impact on state revenues as long as people can spend the way they have,” said Miller.

Interest rate increases to combat inflation are still increasing but expected to slow the economy going into 2024.

Mississippi’s Competitiveness

In terms of cost of living, Mississippi has stayed competitive with its Southern neighbors.

It remains the most affordable place to live in the U.S. compared to per capita income. Miller said the state’s economy has fared well against neighbors like Louisiana, whose economy has struggled in recent years.

“I would say we were pretty much on par with Arkansas and Alabama when you look at everything. Of course, Tennessee has had tremendous growth in recent years compared to Mississippi,” said Miller.

A major detriment that persists is the state’s human capital. That involves the skills and education of workers as well as health of the labor market. Miller said this is an area where the state needs to improve.

Other issues persist like the “brain drain” which has decreased the population and workforce, as well as the continued individual income tax and grocery tax.

Since the end of the pandemic, experts say they do expect it to take longer than anticipated for the country to return to an overall healthier economy. Miller said things are still not like they were before and there isn’t a clear picture as to why.

‘Since the pandemic and the governments response to it, we are still trying to work through things going forward,” said Miller. “The economy is not going to be the same going forward. It’s going to take a lot longer than most people thought.”

Miller said there were expectations that the economy would have slowed down much more by now and a looser labor market would be happening, but those changes have not happened.

The post Mississippi economic climate shows promise as post-pandemic “normal” still unclear appeared first on Magnolia Tribune.

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By: Sarah Ulmer
Title: Mississippi economic climate shows promise as post-pandemic “normal” still unclear
Sourced From: magnoliatribune.com/2023/10/03/mississippi-economic-climate-shows-promise-as-post-pandemic-normal-still-unclear/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=mississippi-economic-climate-shows-promise-as-post-pandemic-normal-still-unclear
Published Date: Tue, 03 Oct 2023 13:30:00 +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.

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

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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
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

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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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