Ted Henifin's Challenge with JXN Water Billing System
Ted Henifin initially did not want to manage Jackson’s billing system. In 2022, he warned city and federal leaders that fixing the system would be a nightmare. Despite his reluctance, a Jackson City Councilman insisted that billing be included in the takeover vote, making Henifin the interim third-party manager.
Ongoing Issues Three Years Later
Three years after the federal takeover, Henifin’s prediction has come true. Customers across Jackson continue to experience problems such as high bills, missing bills, inaccurate meters, and poor customer service.
“If you talk to anyone in the industry, billing system conversions, any kind of work on your billing system... tends to be where water and wastewater utilities have their biggest challenges,” Henifin said. “The rest of the time, we’re almost not touching our customers.”
Customer Experiences
Reports from customers highlight ongoing struggles. Richard Laswell, for example, had his water turned off twice within weeks for not paying a disputed bill. At the time of reporting, his water remained off.
“Do I go begging to my neighbors, ‘Can you run a hose over to my house, so I can fill up a bunch of bottles of water so I can flush my toilet?’ I mean, it’s just insane.”
Related Stories
- Issues range from faulty meters to exorbitant charges up to $70,000.
- Customers continue facing billing struggles years after the federal takeover.
Author's summary: Ted Henifin's concerns about fixing Jackson's billing system were accurate, as ongoing billing issues and customer complaints persist years after the federal takeover.