Jackson Free Press

Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. wants the city to have more power to spend its own money.

Johnson opposes part of a new state law allowing the city to hold a referendum vote on a possible 1-percent tax increase on businesses' gross proceeds or gross income already taxed at a 7 percent tax rate under state law. The tax does not apply to retail sales of food at grocery stores and restaurants, or hotels or motels. Also exempt from the tax are television and internet service providers.

The city must use the revenue derived from the tax for police and fire services, emergency repairs for streets, and water infrastructure. A three-fifths majority of Jackson city voters must approve the referendum vote before the new tax can apply.

Johnson does not oppose the actual tax or its revenue, which he says is necessary. But the mayor does not approve of the make-up of a commission--also created by the new law--which would devise a plan for how the city spends the funds.

A local chamber of commerce, possibly the Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership (the law does not specify), gets to appoint four members of the commission. Although the four members must own businesses within the city, they do not have to be residents. The state governor, lieutenant governor and the speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives each get to appoint a single member to the commission, leaving the mayor with the power to appoint the three remaining members.

Under a previous law, the commission had sign-off authority on every expenditure; however, a change enacted this legislative session removes that requirement., Johnson argues, however, that the commission still has too much power regarding where the city spends its own city-taxpayer-derived revenue.
"Although the commission is no longer vested with blanket power to approve all expenditure ties to local sales tax revenues, the commission is now charged with establishing a master plan for streets and roads, water, sewer and drainage," Johnson wrote in a May 2 statement.

Johnson wants more influence over the four commission members appointed by the "local chamber." Specifically, he is asking the chamber to give the city the power to appoint the chamber's four commission members.

"We asking to bring those appointees to the Jackson City Council, to give the city the appointment power," said city spokesman Chris Mims.
Mims said the chamber can give that power to the city if it adopts a resolution allowing it, and if the city of Jackson adopts an ordinance change allowing it to accept the chamber's resolution.

Sen. Walter Michel, R-Jackson, said he did not understand the mayor's drive to remove the commission, considering its role in making the referendum vote possible.

"The Jackson delegation had a knock-down drag-out fight to get it passed, and now you want to remove the oversight provision of the deal, and that was one of the things that allowed it to get the one-vote majority to get it passed," Michel said.

Previous Comments

ID

163359

Comment

@ Boyd Campbell It not only "comes off as kind of racist with....." it is racist and this would not be an issue if Johnson were not black. He is doing an excellent job and his valuable time should not be wasted with these racist tactics designed to upstage and to control. This was not an issue for any of our past mayors and it should not be a condition for Johnson.

Author

justjess

Date

2011-05-04T12:56:35-06:00

ID

163365

Comment

I think this brings to bear again the awful relationship that exsists between the legislature and the city of Jackson. I don't think it's as much the mayor as it is a general desire in my opinion, to see Jackson lose. We had to twist their arms to get them to see the relevance of a Civil Rights Museum. They never really supported Farish street and voted against any funding to help it along. Quite frankly if we don't find a way to improve this relationship, a way to NOT just be a whipping boy to business yet work with them, we're going to keep having this problem.

Author

Kamikaze

Date

2011-05-05T08:33:14-06:00

ID

163369

Comment

Let's deal with reality. There is no way the Chamber of Commerce can "turn over" their authority to name four members to the commission unless the legislature passes a law allowing them to do it. The law as currently passed bestows the right to name four members of the commission only to a chamber of commerce.There is nothing to stop the city of Jackson or some local citizens from creating a " chamber of commerce" and naming these four commission members.This would be following the law. The idea to create a commission to oversee the spending of the money from the 1% tax increase is so blatantly racist that Ray Charles coulld see it and he is both blind and dead. The relationship between the legislature, particularly the Senate, and the city of Jackson ,is exceptionally strained. Many rural legislatures do not like Jackson because it is big and because it is a black controlled and populated city. These rural legislators are not used to dealing with entities that have black leadership and do not feel comfortable dealing with them. But let's lay some of the blame on Harvey Johnson. He has made little,if any , effort to establish a personal relationship with any of the legislative movers and shakers. As one who has interacted with the legislature over the last 12 years I have never seen Harvey at any of the legislative receptions held during the legislative sessions, not even the one sponosored by the Miss. Municipal Assoc. There is no better way to mingle, meet and interact with most members of the legislature than at these receptions. Yet Mayor Johnson is always conspicous by his absence. I don't know if the divide between the legislature and the city of Jackson can ever be removed but I do know that until Mayor Johnson (and any other mayors that follow him) starts to develop personal relationships with the legislative leaders the divide will only grow instead of shrink.

Author

wellington

Date

2011-05-05T11:37:03-06:00

ID

163370

Comment

This argument about "RELATIONSHIP" is taking on the same tone and spirit as the one waged against President Obama for his lack of support from Republicans. It is my understanding that Johnson has tried on many occasions, to reach out and touch and with an olive branch and legislators who offered support privately, punked out pubicly. Instead of blaming Johnson for the distance and seperation in this relationship, let's accept responsibilit for the people we elect to represent us and at post election, contribute everything but what we need.

Author

justjess

Date

2011-05-05T12:41:55-06:00

ID

163371

Comment

But doesn't the Jackson chamber have a lot of black business people and a black director? The mayor could easily just decide to use the Jackson chamber and pick his choice for the panel. Is this about race or is it about fixing the water and roads? There seem to be ways around the issue, so can we just focus on what's really important. There's enough division in this city without this. It just seems like we are so easily distracted from what's really important.

Author

News Junkie

Date

2011-05-05T12:41:56-06:00

ID

163380

Comment

Jackson is hated while the rest of the state is gated! That's why mississippi is last in everything, racist backward thinking rural lawmakers who are just fine with one red light and one gas station.

Author

NewJackson

Date

2011-05-05T20:21:21-06:00