Tell us about paying your water bill in Jackson

JXN Water, the federally appointed manager of the capital city’s water system, is working to boost the revenue it collects through water bills. Its goal is to establish enough revenue so that the city won’t be reliant on federal funds, in addition to having the money the city needs to pay for sewer repairs.

Last year, JXN Water set up a new rate structure, which started showing up in residents’ bill this past February. The changes include an increased price for the average rate-payer, and a SNAP discount that has struggled to get traction due to a dispute over recipients’ privacy (a federal judge ordered the release of SNAP data in April, although the U.S. Department of Agriculture is appealing the decision). The utility is also in the process of replacing the city’s infamously unreliable water meters.

To get more people paying bills, JXN Water has also started to show its teeth, disconnecting service to customers who aren’t making payments. So far, manager Ted Henifin told Mississippi Today, the utility has prioritized disconnecting places that get water without accounts, as well as multi-family homes with large outstanding debts.

Given the history of Jackson’s water system, we want to know how residents are responding to the recent changes. How are residents handling the new prices? What are their experiences with being disconnected, especially when their landlord is the one responsible for making payments?

If you live in Jackson, please take a few minutes to fill out the survey below:

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