Nationwide — Tony Little, an African American entrepreneur who owns the Blossom Apartments in South Jackson, Mississippi, is facing a financial nightmare as his complex owes over $470,000 in water bills to JXN Water, putting its services at risk of being cut off.“I don’t mind paying you for something, but I don’t owe you this,” Little told WLBT. “There’s no possible way I can owe you this.”
JXN Water, the utility provider, has issued warnings of service cutoffs for overdue bills, listing Blossom Apartments among the top five complexes with overdue amounts in April, then owing $436,000. Little’s June bill showed $471,000, with $17,549 for June alone.
However, Little disputes the bill sharing for about 83 million gallons of water. He argues that the water usage — equivalent to filling over 120 Olympic-sized swimming pools — far exceeds what the property’s 44 occupied units could reasonably consume.
“A typical family of four uses 400 gallons [a day]. That’s what the EPA said,” he said. “You can’t hide that much water.”
Two plumbers inspected for leaks and found just one. Little remains adamant that the meter readings cannot be accurate. He declined a payment plan offered by JXN Water, concerned it wouldn’t prevent future high bills.
“This complex takes in about $40,000. Now, $4,000 is property taxes. I’ve got insurance; I’ve got payroll,” he said. “How can I pay $20,000 or $17,000 to anyone? The water should be about $3,500, at the most, $4,000 a month.”
Adding to the problems, Little stopped leasing a dozen apartments after a mudslide from a water main break flooded the units. Until it is repaired, he loses $15,000 a month in revenue and spends $2,000 for clean-up after every rain.
“There was a time for three years I forgot I had this property,” he said. “That’s how good it was at one time. It just became a nightmare recently.”