The Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership (GJCP) has authored a letter to city, county, state, and congressional leaders urging the creation of a regional utility authority to manage the capital city’s water and sewage systems.
According to the letter, the GJCP has held meetings with elected officials and business leaders representing both private and public entities, all of whom are on board with the notion that multiple parties need to come together to work on a permanent solution to resolve Jackson’s failing water system.
Jackson’s water crisis has affected residents and businesses within city limits, but it has also affected those outside of city limits, such as Byram residents and those who travel to the capital city for work. For these reasons, GJCP is encouraging a regional partnership with the state being included as a member.
“Regional governance is a model that has proven to work in other parts of Mississippi and across the country. Jackson’s utility system serves Byram, parts of rural Hinds County, Ridgeland, and eastern Madison County. Allow members of the regional authority to share power and responsibility. While the state would not be the owner-operator, given the importance of the utility to the operations of state government, and that the state is collectively the system’s largest customer, it should also be represented in the membership of the authority,” GJCP President and CEO Jeff Rent wrote.
GJCP represents more than 1,400 businesses employing more than 200,000 people in the greater Jackson area.
