Drive along State Street from Capitol Street to High Street, and you’ll encounter a smooth ride.
That stretch is part of a multi-phase, $29-million project of the Capitol Complex Improvement District to rehab State Street from Capitol Street to Fortification Street and infrastructure beneath it.
“It’s our biggest investment,” said Rebekah Staples, director of the CCID Project Advisory Committee.
The State Street project is a good example of how the city of Jackson benefits from infrastructure improvements of the CCID, said Virgi Lindsay, who represents Ward 7 on the Jackson City Council and serves as the council president.
CCID-funded projects help the city make the most of its budget, said Lindsay, who serves as a member of the CCID Project Advisory Committee.
“The city can use the dollars it has on other projects in other parts of town,” she said.
Established by the Legislature in 2017, the CCID provides regular funding and administration of infrastructure projects within a defined area of the city of Jackson.
The Department of Finance and Administration is the official agent for the CCID funds and works in conjunction with the CCID Project Advisory Committee.
The district came about after “several Jackson lawmakers got together and looked at models to see if there was a way to provide for Jackson infrastructure and public safety,” she said.
The creation of the district was “bipartisan, supported by Republicans, Democrats, Jacksonians and non-Jacksonians,” Staples said. The vote in the Senate was 42 in favor of establishing the district and one opposed and in the House of Representatives, 105 in favor and 13 opposed, she said.
David Blount, a Democrat who represents District 29 (Hinds County), helped write and pass the original CCID legislation that for the first time ensured the state of Mississippi would help pay to repair and improve streets in the capital city.
“To date, approximately $100 million has been spent in Jackson on city streets,” he said. “This is where the seat of state government is located and the state should help with infrastructure costs.”
The CCID Project Advisory Committee consists of representatives and appointees from the city of Jackson, Jackson State University, the University of Mississippi Medical Center and the offices of the governor, lieutenant governor and speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives.
The CCID Project Advisory Committee serves, just as its name suggests, in an advisory capacity, offering input on the CCID master plan and help with determining how important projects are to various entities.
Current members of the committee include Howard Brown Jr., vice president for business and finance and chief financial officer at JSU; Jonathan Wilson, Ph.D., chief administrative officer at UMMC; Kirk Sims, director of corporate affairs for Yates Construction Company and the Yates Companies; Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba; Chloe Butler, a policy advisor for Speaker of the House Jason White; Leah Rupp Smith, general counsel and vice president for policy and advocacy at the Mississippi Hospital Association; and Lindsay.
The boundaries of the CCID were initially drawn to capture a majority of the state-owned properties and state facilities operating within the city. In 2024, the Legislature passed a bill to expand the CCID boundaries to include more of the city.
Capitol Police, which falls under the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, patrols within the CCID as does the Jackson Police Department.
Blount believes Capitol Police can be a valuable partner with JPD and the Hinds County Sheriff’s Office to provide more law enforcement in Jackson. “I am pleased to hear from local law enforcement, JSU and others that they are working together to make Jackson safer,” he said.
The CCID was not passed to create a separate appointed Judiciary, Blount said, referring to the CCID Court that is in place. The CCID “is not a separate municipality,”he said.
Funding for the CCID improvements diverts a portion of existing sales tax in the city of Jackson that otherwise would have gone into the state general fund, Staples said. The funding for the CCID does not take away from the 18.5 percent diversion the city receives from sales tax collection, she said.
A master plan adopted every five years serves as a guide for CCID projects.
Street reconstruction, resurfacing and repairs to roadways, curbs and gutters; bridge construction, reconstruction and repair; reconstructing and repairing of drainage systems; street lighting improvements; traffic signal improvements; installation of, or repairs to, water and sewer lines; reconstruction and repair of public parks and sidewalks; planting and replacing landscaping materials, trees, and site amenities within public parks and right-of-way and relocation of underground power and communication lines can be included in a master plan.
Other infrastructure or public safety improvements that are determined to be necessary by the executive director of the Department of Finance and Administration can also be included in a master plan.
The first master plan was adopted in 2018 and the current one in 2023.
“They’re a good guide for CCID projects and aggregate a lot of information in a single document,” Staples said.
The master plans incorporate information from sources such as the Central Mississippi Planning and Development District, the 1 Percent Sales Tax Commission, UMMC, JSU and the city of Jackson as well as information gleaned from meetings with various entities, so that the CCID is informed of planning efforts under way in the city and does not duplicate them.
The two master plans have resulted in about $100 million investments in Jackson, Staples said.
The largest project to date, the State Street project, is estimated to be completed by the end of the year, Staples said.
“It’s completely head to toe,” Staples said, describing the work on State Street. It includes the replacement of new water lines, storm water lines and sewer lines and utilities conduit along with asphalt, curb and gutter repair and sidewalk and ramp rehab and replacement so they comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The CCID repairs infrastructure issues rather than just providing a quick fix of milling and applying an overlay of asphalt, she said.
In downtown Jackson, the CCID has also funded upgrades to sidewalks on Capitol Street and rehabbed Mississippi Street from West Street to North Street, High Street from Lamar Street to West Street and Lamar Street from Griffith Street to George Street, to name some of its projects.
The CCID has also rehabbed Museum Boulevard leading to the Mississippi Children’s Museum.
The CCID can invest in public safety updates, Staples said. The project advisory committee unanimously recommended DFA fund up to $2 million for upgrades to the Jackson Fire Department’s emergency dispatch system.
“We believe it will benefit every citizen in Jackson,” Staples said, noting that many first responders use the system and that the modern system could help improve the city’s fire insurance ratings.
The city of Jackson will be responsible for long-term maintenance of the fire department’s emergency dispatch system, she said.
Blount believes the CCID can continue to be a big help to the city of Jackson and that it should work in partnership with elected city officials.
Staples credits the work of the Department of Finance and Administration, which is led by Liz Welch, and capable contractors with getting projects completed on time. Weather can delay the completion of a project and supply chain disruptions can also cause problems, she said.
Overall, Staples believes there is “positive momentum” when it comes to the infrastructure improvements being made in the CCID.
