Jackson City Council has sharply paused a critical vote on Mayor John Horhn’s nominations to the new Metro Jackson Water Authority Board after a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction blocking the state law that created the board from going into effect.
The decision came during a council meeting on Tuesday, May 5, when Council President Brian Grizzell announced the mayor’s nominees would be pulled from the agenda amid legal uncertainty.
Mayor Horhn told reporters this move was prompted by the injunction issued by U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate, effectively putting “everything on ice for the moment” as the city fights to keep majority control of its water system.
Horhn: “We are not interested in any mechanism, any authority … that does not give the majority of the votes on that authority to the city of Jackson.”
The nominations include Shirley R. Tucker, a longtime Jackson business leader; Austin Barbour, a public affairs expert; and Daniel L. Walker, an environmental and water treatment professional with more than two decades of experience.
They were set to be the city’s three appointees to the nine-member regional water authority created by House Bill 1677, designed to oversee Jackson’s water and wastewater systems once Interim Third-Party Manager Ted Henifin leaves federal oversight. Council confirmation is required before the nominees can serve.
However, Judge Wingate’s injunction delays the authority’s ability to exercise any control. His order allows appointments but bars the board from taking action while the court reviews if the state law “encroaches” on federal court authority overseeing Jackson’s water system.
The city filed a legal challenge to the law and was given until May 5 to specify the relief sought. Responses from opposing parties are due by May 11. The injunction’s end date remains unclear, but Wingate emphasized expeditious resolution.
Meanwhile, Governor Tate Reeves has delayed naming his appointees in respect of the court order. Reeves labeled the city’s lawsuit “frivolous” and reaffirmed the state’s commitment to House Bill 1677 as the best path to prevent future water crises in Jackson.
Reeves: “The Authority created under House Bill 1677 is the best way to ensure future chaos is avoided.”
The board structure appointed three members each from the city and governor, one from the lieutenant governor, one jointly appointed by governor and mayor, and one each from the cities of Byram and Ridgeland. So far, Byram confirmed Tramone Smith, Ridgeland confirmed Paul Forster, and Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann selected Sandy Carter.
Other key appointments, including retired Maj. Gen. Augustus Leon Collins (jointly appointed by Horhn and Reeves), remain unresolved amid the legal uncertainty.
For now, Jackson’s water system stays under federal oversight with JXN Water operating under court-appointed manager Henifin, a status that began after the city’s devastating water crisis in 2022.
This unfolding legal battle and governance uncertainty continue to create tension around Jackson’s water future, with residents and stakeholders locked in a fight over local control and the path forward.
Jackson’s water issues bear watching closely across the U.S. as urban water management and infrastructure governance remain critical challenges nationwide.
