Jackson’s water and sewer systems would be under the control of an authority separate from the city government under a bill the state House passed Wednesday. The change would take place once U.S. District Court Judge Henry Wingate releases the city from its current receivership.

House Bill 1677 would create the “Metro Jackson Water Authority” that would be led by a nine-member board. Those members would be comprised of:

• The mayor of Jackson
• Two at-large appointees, who live or work in the service area, selected by Jackson’s mayor and subject to confirmation by the Jackson City Council.
• One recommended member each from the mayors of Ridgeland and Byram. Those two would need to be appointed by the mayor of Jackson and confirmed by the Jackson City Council.
• Two at-large appointees from the governor who live or work in the service area.
• One at-large appointee, who lives or works in the service area, from the lieutenant governor.
• The president, or a designee, of the Greater Jackson Chamber of Commerce.

While state lawmakers have introduced versions of a Jackson water authority bill in previous sessions, this is the first one with momentum to include city input on a majority of board members.

Rep. Shanda Yates, an independent from Jackson, authored the proposal, which now heads to the state Senate for review. Yates said she’d spent months working with the Jackson delegation and Mayor John Horhn to craft a bill local leaders could agree on. Horhn has endorsed the idea of a water authority since shortly after taking office.

Previous versions of the proposal, authored by former Olive Branch Sen. David Parker, passed the Senate in 2024 and 2023 before dying in the House. But those versions notably gave a majority of the board control to state officials, drawing protest from Jackson lawmakers. Parker also proposed authorizing the authority to buy Jackson’s water and sewer assets, whereas in Yates version the authority would just lease the property from the city.

Mississippi Today reached out to the city of Jackson for comment but has not gotten a response.

The Jackson City Council called a meeting Wednesday afternoon to discuss the bill, but after an hour-long executive session took no action. Ward 5 Councilman Vernon Hartley said the city will have a town hall meeting Monday at 10 a.m. to hear from residents, and he expects the council to pass a resolution soon after.

In 2022, Judge Wingate appointed Ted Henifin as interim third-party manager of the city’s water system after it faced a near total collapse a few months prior. Henifin went on to form JXN Water to run operations and later took on the city’s sewer system as well per Wingate’s request.

Henifin has also endorsed the idea of a water authority taking control after he steps away, which he’s predicted will happen in 2027. Such governance would allow the system to borrow money again, which JXN Water can’t do in its current form, Henifin has said.

Under Yates’ proposal, the board would appoint a president to run water and sewer operations. To help in the transition, the bill stipulates that the president shall serve as a deputy to Henifin until the authority gains control.

“All of this will be done in concert with the federal court to make this transition as smooth as possible,” the lawmaker said on the House floor.

During discussion, Rep. Fabian Nelson, a Democrat from Byram, unsuccessfully asked for Ridgeland and Byram to be able to make direct appointments to the board rather than recommendations that would have to go through the Jackson mayor and City Council.

Nelson said Byram is trying to sever itself from Jackson’s water system but lacks the funds to do so.

“All I’m asking is that you give my constituents their voice,” he told fellow House members before the proposed amendment failed.

The House passed the bill 96 to 12.

A previous version of the bill had the board at 13 members, with only four positions receiving input from Jackson officials and one other appointee from the Hinds County Board of Supervisors. Sen. Walter Michel, a Republican from Ridgeland, offered a similar makeup in his bill, which initially passed out of committee before being recommitted and dying.