The Mississippi Legislature is crafting plans to put together a matching fund grant program to help municipalities and counties statewide with water and sewer upgrades and repairs.
The bills now active in the Legislature would use some of the $1.8 billion given to the state under the American Rescue Plan Act.
In addition to the state government, individual municipalities also received funds from ARPA. Jackson received $42 million, the most statewide. According to data from the National League of Cities. Gulfport was second with $19.5 million, Hattiesburg was third with $12.8 million and Biloxi received the fourth-most at $11 million.
Senate Bill 2822 will create separate matching grant programs for local governments and rural water associations to be managed by the state Department of Environment Quality and is sponsored by state Sen. Walter Michel, R-Ridgeland. Local governments would receive matching funds for every dollar they spend from federal relief funds given to them directly for water and sewer projects.
Utility authorities and rural water associations are limited to a maximum grant of $2.5 million for projects in this program. Counties would receive a one-for-one match for any COVID-19 federal relief funds that they transfer to these types of entities.
Any personal or professional services contracts by MDEQ under the grant program would be exempt from review by the state’s Public Procurement Review Board.
Lawmakers would appropriate $400 million for local governments and $350 million for rural water associations. It passed by a 52-0 margin in the Senate on February 8 and has yet to receive a House committee assignment.
House Bill 1421 would create the Rural Water Associations Grant Program under the state Department of Health, which would approve grant applications and ensure that the terms of each project agreement were honored. The bill was sponsored by state Rep. John Read, R-Gautier. Lawmakers will outlay $200 million in ARPA funds for the grant program.
Any personal or professional services contracts by MSDH under the grant program would be exempt from review by the PPRB.
It was passed by the House on February 8 by a 117-4 margin, but has yet to receive a committee assignment in the Senate.
Read also sponsored HB 1425, which would create the Wastewater and Drinking Water Infrastructure Grant Programs. If the bill becomes law, the MDEQ will manage the wastewater grant program for local governments, utility authorities and non-profit utilities (such as rural water associations). Lawmakers will appropriate $171 million for the wastewater grant program.
MSDH will manage the drinking water program, for which lawmakers will appropriate $250 million. Like the rural water associations bill, personal and professional services contracts that are part of the grant program will be exempt from PPRB scrutiny.
HB 1640 would provide $42 million for improvements to the city of Jackson’s embattled water system, with $20 million for repairs to the city’s two treatment plants — O.B. Curtis and J.H. Fewell — along with $12 million for repairs to the city’s water distribution center and $6 million to do a computer model of the city’s water distribution system. The city would have to spend 85 percent of its ARPA funds on water and sewer repairs to receive the funds.
The deadline for a floor vote for appropriations bills (which have later deadlines than general bills) is February 23.
