After numerous hearings over the last year, U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate, as acting chief executive officer of Jackson’s historically troubled water and sewer system, granted a 12% rate increase sought by the third-party manager he appointed.
Federal Judge Henry T. Wingate Credit: Rogelio V. Solis / Associated PressDepending on usage, residential customers’ bills may increase by an average of $8 to $10. The average bill for a household of four is currently a little under $80 a month, according to JXN Water.
In the Monday order, Wingate granted JXN Water’s requested hike while also ordering the utility to pursue some of the alternative collection methods proposed by Jackson officials and other opponents of the rate increase. Opponents had called the increase unaffordable for a city where 1 in 4 residents live in poverty.
But the rate increase is necessary, Wingate wrote, to cover the water utility’s $1.2 million monthly shortfall.
“We, the Court and the citizenry of Jackson, nonetheless, are in a tragic Catch-22,” he wrote. “Without the revenue from paying customers today, JXN Water cannot obtain the resources to fix the billing system and identify the ‘free riders’ tomorrow.”
In a press release, Jackson Mayor John Horhn noted a delay in federal funds reallocated to JXN Water last year is forcing the city to pay $1.5 million in bond debt service.
“Our position is simple,” Horhn said. “Jackson residents deserve a water system that is funded fairly, not on the backs of the people who can least afford it. We will meet our legal obligations, but we will also keep pushing for solutions that use existing tools like better collections, honest billing, and already-approved federal funds before asking every household to pay more each month.”
JXN Water bills northeast Jackson resident Aidan Girod received in the same month showing two different amounts due, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi TodayWingate wrote in the order he was also troubled that rate-paying customers were shouldering the utility’s quest for financial stability. So he directed his court-appointed manager, Ted Henifin, to pursue several “needed structural reforms.”
“Where a system is operating in violation of federal mandates, the remedy is compliance, not delay,” he wrote.
The potential reforms include expediting the billing of 4,000 unmetered properties throughout the city of Jackson, opening an in-person service site where residents can discuss their bills, creating a publicly available “sample bill” to help Jacksonians understand their charges, and enhancing the debt collection of more than $74 million in outstanding arrears.
Wingate also directed Henifin to study whether it is possible to pursue tiered billing, so that customers can save on their water bill by using less water. JXN Water has previously said this could pose issues for renters who live in apartment buildings with a single meter.
In an effort to help Jacksonians afford the rate increase, JXN Water’s spokesperson Aisha Carson said the utility is opening more kiosks throughout the city where residents can pay without added service fees. There is already a kiosk at the Jackson Medical Mall.
JXN Water has been financially buoyed by $150 million in federal subsidies since it was created in the wake of the city’s 2022 water crisis. The dissipation of those funds was one reason Henifin began arguing for the rate increase.
Some have questioned how Henifin spent the federal subsidies. Wingate also wrote that he is going to conduct a “forensic analysis” of JXN Water’s expenditures.
READ MORE: Shutoffs loomed in third year of receivership. Can Jackson afford its own water system?
Hence then, the article about judge wants both wingate grants jxn water rate increase and orders utility to pursue city backed alternatives was published today ( ) and is available on Mississippi Today ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Judge wants both: Wingate grants JXN Water rate increase and orders utility to pursue city-backed alternatives )
Also on site :