The city of Jackson plans to resume water cut-offs on Sept. 1.
“The mayor has agreed to lift the moratorium on disconnects on Sept. 1,” said Carla Dazet, deputy director of Public Works for the city.
“It’s critical. We have more than 14,000 customers not paying right now. Our collections are so bad right now that we’re not able to cover our bills."
The city should be collecting more than $6 million a month in revenue from water bills but it varies from $3 million to $5 million a month, she said.
Dazet couldn’t provide a specific number for how many customers have “billing exceptions” such as those not receiving a bill or those with other issues but encourages customers to contact the Water Sewer Billing Administration.
Customers may contact Water Sewer Business Administration at 601-960-2000 or they may send an email to wsba@jacksonms.gov with the subject line that includes billing issue. They may also appear in person at the Water Sewer Business Administration Office at Metrocenter.
Some issues cannot be resolved with one visit to the office, she said, but a customer service representative can note an issue and get the ball rolling should further investigation be needed.
If a water meter isn’t reading, we will have to send someone out,” she said. “We can’t fix the bill that day but we can trigger activity on our end and start the process of trying to un-strand a bill.”
Earlier this month, Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, together with Sally Doty, executive director of the Mississippi Public Utilities Staff, announced a pilot program to help Jackson residents who have fallen behind on water and sewer payments to take advantage of state assistance.
During the 2021 Mississippi Legislative session, the city of Jackson requested and was granted the authority for cities with a population of 150,000 or more to adjust, release or extinguish indebtedness from customers’ water and sewer bills under certain circumstances with House Bill 359. Over the past few months, the city has worked closely with the state to define the parameters, eligibility and process for this assistance.
Enrollment for two payment plans is open, Dazet said. One plan is the Low-Income Assistance Plan and the other is the Courtesy Payment Arrangement Plan for customers who do not quality as low income.
“People have to be paying into the system to receive assistance,” Dazet said. “People have to play by the rules. They have to pay into the system, pay their bills on time and we’ll be able to help them.”
A customer must pay the last three months of bills to be eligible for a plan.
Under the Low-Income Assistance Plan, a customer who owes a $5,000 bill and meets all of the guidelines would end up paying $240 over a 24-month period, Dazet said.
A Stranded Bills-Flat Rate is being established for those who know they have a balance but have not recently received a bill. The Water Sewer Billing Administration can put customers on a flat rate so that payments may begin in order for a customer to participate in one of the programs.
Many residents have not received water bills for years and ignored it, but those days are coming to an end, she said.
In August, a field audit of water customers will take place to determine meters in the ground and more, Dazet said.
New meters are scheduled to be installed starting in October, she said. The business installing the meters plans a full communications plan about the work being done.
“We’re creating a communications plan that will keep customers updated with every step,” Dazet said. “We have stressed to them that we want to keep customers updated with every step.”
