Jackson Free Press

JACKSON — The City of Jackson launched a new water-bill payment portal today, which reads directly from the automatic meters installed as a part of the Siemens contract.

"This is the first time we have had a comprehensive portal that allowed customers to not only pay online but also to track their water use," City of Jackson Director of Communications Shelia Byrd said during a phone interview Monday. "That way, they will always be aware of how much water they are using and have a good idea of where their bill stands. We are very excited about being able to offer this to them."

Jackson residents continue to criticize the City about the billing system, which in theory automatically uploads the water-usage amount from the meters installed under the Siemens contract. Many have complained that they are still not receiving their bills in the mail, or that if they do, the amount is inaccurate. Byrd said this new portal, which provides detailed reports on water use in real-time, could help close the gap in customer service.

"As we continue to work through the billing software, getting the bills out to people, this is a tool that any City of Jackson customer can use to access their account and see their water usage," Byrd said. "It also provides information on past bills, so they will be able to see any significant differences in their bill, and if they have concerns about that, they, of course, contact the water-sewer administration. "

"We are very excited about this," Byrd said.

Ward 1 Councilman Ashby Foote said he supports any effort to shore up the shortfalls in revenue the City has experienced over the last half a year.

"It's a very serious issue for the City of Jackson, so I applaud the efforts we can make to use technology to make it easier for citizens to get informed about their account with the water department," Foote said.

He said he concerned citizens repeatedly ask him about water billing.

"Many times, (it's) the same thing. It's really exasperating," Foote said during a phone interview Monday. "I hope we can get a lot of people to sign on and use this new feature."

As for the water-sewer fund, one of the largest such funds in the city's budget, Foote said he was not sure where the City stood at the moment since its last update around six weeks ago. Issues with billing have left the fund continuously short of projected revenue benchmarks.

Newly appointed Council President Tyrone Hendrix from Ward 6 said that even though the new system is an upgrade, it is unclear whether billing will improve. "The problem is that the water bill is inaccurate," Hendrix said.

Hendrix is waiting for an update on the water-sewer revenues before he can say whether or not the new system will affect the numbers in time. "We will be getting those reports in soon," he said.

As for the new system, the City of Jackson published instructions for customers on its website:

"Access your water bill online, as well as view your water consumption and pay your bill. Access these features by visiting https://waterwebcss.jacksonms.gov/OUCSSPortal. Please use Google Chrome or Firefox as your browser.

Follow the following steps:



1. Click Register and fill in the requested information. Please remember your password. It cannot be changed, or reset.
2. An email will be sent to you with a link. Please follow the instructions.
3. On login page, complete user name, password and choose City of Jackson for Login Text.

4. Then you can "Enroll" your utility account number. You will need your bill for this or email (the city) and (we) can provide it. You can enroll several accounts.



Once you are in an account, you can view real time data that a (customer service representative) from the Water/Sewer Business office can access. You can view your bill, pay your bill, etc. At the bottom of the dashboard, you can choose to see water, sewer or sanitation bill segments.

Hover over the 'Details' menu, (don't press it)
Move pointer over the 'Usage Details' menu item and click.
You will be presented with the graph I had attached. From there you can:
Drag the graph to prior periods
Click on a bar to 'zoom in' to hourly data
Use the buttons on the top to zoom out to daily and monthly data."

The number for the Water Sewer Business Administration is 601-960-2000.

Email city reporter Tim Summers Jr. at [email protected]. See more local news at jfp.ms/localnews.