JXN Water announced residential water bills will increase by approximately 11.7 percent or an average of $8.88 per month, starting March 23.
JXN Water said the adjustment is essential to cover the ongoing costs of operations and maintenance,
While the consumptive water rate will change, the water availability fee will remain the same. The availability fee is the base cost for the availability of water service at any address.
That water availability fee, which is based on the size of the water meter, is $40 for most residential customers.
The water availability fee is designed to cover the fixed costs required to operate and maintain the water system, said Aisha Carson, spokesperson for JXN Water.
Those costs include infrastructure, treatment facilities, staffing, compliance requirements and ongoing system rehabilitation, and they exist regardless of how much water an individual customer uses, she said.
A water bill from JXN Water also includes a consumption charge, which by contrast, reflects the actual amount of water a customer uses.
Other cities in the metro area have a similar fee to JXN Water’s water availability fee but they call it a base fee and it’s the amount customers pay whether they use any water or not.
What stands out about the water availability rate that JXN Water customers pay each month is the amount: $40 for most residential customers.
Ridgeland water customers pay a $3.75 base fee each month. The base fee is the same for all customers, residential or commercial, and the same for all water meters no matter the size.
Madison water customers, both residential and commercial, pay a base rate of $6.65 monthly. The base rate is not based on the size of the water meter.
Bear Creek Water Association customers pay a base rate of $13 per month.
The water availability fee that JXN Water customers pay has been in place since JXN Water’s rate structure was implemented after the Federal Stipulated Order in 2023.
Ted Henefin, the federally appointed third-party water administrator for JXN Water, announced the new water rate structure, which included the “water availability charge,” on Nov. 17, 2023. New water rates, including the availability fee, were designed to take effect for the 2024 billing charge.
As part of his job, Henefin had to come up with a new water billing structure.
The only exception to the water availability fee is customers in the Byram area, Carson said. “Due to a legal matter, JXN Water does not currently determine their rate, even though we are the service provider in that area,” she said.
The water availability fee increases based on meter size. Most residential customers have a 5/8-inch water meter and pay $40 a month; for a 1-inch meter, $60; 1.5-inch meter, $200; 2-inch meter, $320; 4-inch meter, $640; 6-inch meter $1,280; and 8-inch meter, $2,560.
Jackson residents in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) pay a reduced water availability fee. The water availability fee for those customers for either a 5/8th-inch meter or a 1-inch meter is $10.
Availability fee based on size of water meter
