Gov. Tate Reeves announced Friday afternoon he is not yet naming his board appointees for the Metro Jackson Water Authority. Of the board’s nine members, state law gives the governor two appointees, as well as a third to be decided between him and Jackson Mayor John Horhn.
In a social media post, Reeves cited U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate’s injunction on Thursday preventing the water authority from taking actions until he decides whether the new governance structure would interfere with his oversight of Jackson’s water and sewer systems.
Wingate said the “status quo must remain undisturbed,” referencing the work he and receiver JXN Water have done since 2022 to rehabilitate the infrastructure. The judge’s injunction, though, specifically allowed state and local officials to make board appointees as he reviews House Bill 1677. The bill, enacted during this past legislative session, set a deadline for Friday for choosing the board’s appointees…