After first publicized shutoff, JXN Water won’t say how many others have happened

JXN Water confirmed to station WLBT this week that it shut off drinking water for an apartment complex in the city that was late on paying its bills, but declined to tell Mississippi Today how many total accounts have been suspended so far.

The third-party utility, which was established in 2022 through a federal court order, said it began shutting off water connections for not paying water bills in March. But when asked if it had a number of how many accounts or connections were shut off for overdue bills, JXN Water declined to say.

“No, as in we are not releasing that number,” Aisha Carson, a media spokesperson for JXN Water, told Mississippi Today on Thursday. “We’re not talking about it publicly.”

The complex that JXN Water did comment on was The Gardenside Apartments, a property just west of State Street on Northside Drive. Management with the complex didn’t respond to a request for comment, but an advertisement on Apartments.com says Gardenside contains 144 units with rent for one-bedroom apartments starting at $749.

The advertisement also reads: “Water, Sewer and Trash included!”

The complex’s website listed just two vacancies as of Thursday afternoon.

JXN Water told WLBT that it made “repeated attempts” to collect on Gardenside’s past due bills. The TV station reported that complex owes $149,000 and has not made a payment since 2017.

“That company that owns (Gardenside) owns more than one apartment complex in Jackson,” Carson said. “None of their accounts are current, and they have not been responsive to our requests at all.”

The registered agent for Gardenside on the state’s business registry database is Moshe Weber. The address listed for Weber in the Mississippi Secretary of State’s website matches one listed for a New York Life insurance agent with the same name in Brooklyn, New York. Weber did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

In April, JXN Water told WLBT that five apartment complexes, not including Gardenside, owed over $1.8 million in water bills. All five were owned by out-of-state companies.

Carson wouldn’t specify what other complexes are at risk of having their water shut off, but said some have reached out to JXN Water to work out payment plans since the April news.

“We are actively enforcing our severance process for apartment complexes that are more than 90 days behind (on their water bill),” she said.

In a Wednesday press release, JXN Water said it will send a property manager multiple notices before beginning the severance process. The utility also encouraged tenants in Jackson apartment complexes to ask their property management companies whether their accounts with JXN Water are current.

If you live in Jackson and have had your water shutoff due to your apartment complex not paying its bill or for any other reasons, reach out to us at info@mississippitoday.org.

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