Jackson’s water and wastewater systems may become governed by a regional authority under a bill passed by the Mississippi House this week, the first regionalization bill to survive that body since the Jackson water crisis began. Rep. Shanda Yates, I-Jackson, introduced H.B. 1677, the “Metro Jackson Water Authority Act,” another attempt to build a future governance model for the struggling Jackson water system.
The proposed authority would be controlled by a nine-member board, including the following:
- The mayor of Jackson
- Two members-at-large, living or working in the service area, to be appointed by the mayor of Jackson and confirmed by the Jackson City Council
- Two members-at-large, living or working in the service area, to be appointed by the governor
- One member-at-large, living or working in the service area, to be appointed by the lieutenant governor
- One member-at-large, living or working in the service area, to be recommended by the mayor of the City of Byram, appointed by the mayor of Jackson, and confirmed by the Jackson City Council
- One member-at-large, living or working in the service area, to be recommended by the mayor of the City of Ridgeland, appointed by the mayor of Jackson, and confirmed by the Jackson City Council
- The President of the Greater Jackson Chamber of Commerce, or his or her designee
The legislation grants the board the authority to supervise the construction and operation of the systems, adopt rules for the regulation of the systems, borrow money and issue bonds.
Notably, this arrangement would give the City of Jackson significantly more authority over the board than previously proposed bills, which, like Jackson’s 1% Sales Tax Committee, were designed to give majority control to members appointed by state officials. Jackson Mayor John Horhn has also shared his opinion that Jackson must maintain majority control on any board that manages the City’s water and wastewater systems. The first attempt to construct a regional authority, then-Sen. David Parker’s Mississippi Capitol Region Utility Act, for example, would have given the governor three appointments and the lieutenant governor two, a majority on the nine-member board…