Jackson Free Press

The City Council's Legislative Committee met last Friday to discuss a wish list for the upcoming state legislative session. Rep. John Reeves, R-Jackson, attended the meeting, chaired by Ward 7 Councilwoman Margaret Barrett-Simon.

The committee expected to hold the meeting earlier that week, but a hold-up in the mayor's administration kept the city's list out of the hands of the committee for an extra four days while Chief of Staff Marcus Ward and others banged it together at the last minute.

The mayor's office had told council members Monday to expect the list Wednesday, but it arrived minutes into the meeting on Friday. The mayor's list included requests such as changes in state law to allow the city to impound cars belonging to people with outstanding fines or arrest warrants. Barrett-Simon, nervous that the mayor's office might not have a list ready for council approval, had already been working on another set of requests. Her list includes a request for legislators to change state law and allow the council to have its own legal counsel.

Other council members support her. Ward 3's Leslie McLemore and Ward 6's Marshand Crisler are eager to ask Municipality Committee Chairman Walter Robinson, D-Bolton, to offer a bill making it legal for both the legislative and executive branches to have their own respective legal counsel. "I just think that the council needs legal advice sometimes," Crisler said. "I don't want to duck responsibility, but we ain't lawyers, and sometimes there are some things that can get past us."

One of the things that got past them was a clause in City Attorney Sarah O'Reilly-Evans' employment agreement allowing her to profit from bond proposals she helps devise. The city attorney, who is paid $113,000, received an extra $45,000 of the recent $65 million Convention Center bond proposal, angering some council members.

State law currently allows only the executive to hire legal counsel, meaning that the council is at the mercy of the mayor's legal staff—namely O'Reilly-Evans—for advice.

City Council members also hope to get the state Legislature to pass a Payment In Lieu of Tax (PILT) bill. Reeves told the council Friday that he would submit a bill that sends money to the city to offset territory classified as non-taxable. Property in the city held by non-profits, churches and state government, such as the State Capitol or buildings owned by FEMA, pay no taxes, even though they occupy prime Jackson real estate. Many capitol cities report that about 12 percent of their territory is untaxable. Jackson, comparatively, has 40 percent of its territory acting as dead weight.

"Some years ago, Jackson benefited from state workers being in Jackson, because many of them lived here," Reeves said at a community meeting in east Jackson. "But most have moved out of the county now, and they commute. … There's no benefit when they drive from Brandon, gas up in Brandon, brown bag (their lunch) from home, and go back home. There's no economic benefit and no tax revenue off the land."

Former Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. said that fight will not be easy for the council or Reeves. The city of Jackson, Johnson said, is up against a kind of tribalism when it comes to getting help from the state.

"I'm pleased to hear that John Reeves is putting a PILT bill out there. … It's happened in other capitol cities, and it needs to happen here. But I think there's this rural suburban legislative group working against the urban area," Johnson said. "I've had legislators outside of Jackson tell me that Jackson's already benefiting. We eat here and all that kind of stuff, so why should we give you any more money?"

Some city residents believe the feeling coming out of the suburbs around Jackson goes further than mere indifference.

"Legislators in other parts of the state are naturally pulling for money and benefits for their own areas, not Jackson, but racial politics is always at play in Mississippi. Jackson being 70 percent African-American is an issue," said NAACP President Derrick Johnson.

Johnson agrees that race plays a role. "There's a grain to that theory, but they'll probably throw out a million other reasons before they own up to that one," he said. "The racial make-up of the city influences a lot of decisions on an ongoing basis. I wouldn't put that down, particularly with some of the folk on the senate side."

One senator offered a wavering view of the chances the city has of convincing the state to ease up on the freeloading. "I'd put support behind (Reeves' PILT bill), but let me look at what he's going to do first. I'm afraid to commit, because you might agree to something, then you look at it and it turns out to be some kind of monster when the people over there (in the House) get through with it," said Sen. Richard White, R-Terry.

Reeves says he's optimistic this year. "We've got a little more money to work with this year, and the Senate, I think, is beginning to feel more of a sense of responsibility than it has before," Reeves said. "Big things are happening here in Jackson. I gotta be optimistic."

Previous Comments

ID

67133

Comment

Who in their right mind would want to give more to this City under the present Administration???????? Their handling of the City's budget is criminal. Melton was spending money as if the City owned its own money tree. What I really want Santa to bring is a new roster of City Council-persons and a new mayor with the integrity, intelligence and love for the city that former Mayor Harvey Johnson had. This would complete my Christmas Wish List. PLEASE SANTA, PLEASE!

Author

justjess

Date

2006-12-13T13:59:13-06:00