Brandon Presley was happy to hear about the Itta Bena Board of Aldermen’s decision to move forward with Entergy Mississippi, the state’s largest energy provider.
Presley
“I think this is a step in the right direction,” said Presley, the Northern District public service commissioner.
After a public hearing on Thursday, the board voted 4-1 on Friday to choose Entergy Mississippi as the city’s electricity provider.
For years, numerous electrical issues have plagued the city, and last week the Municipal Energy Agency of Mississippi announced that it would be pulling the plug on Itta Bena’s electricity supply come Dec. 1 due to the city’s debt of nearly $800,000 to the agency.
Presley, who has spearheaded finding a provider for the city, organized the public hearing to discuss a solution.
During that meeting, when he announced that Entergy Mississippi could provide a potential solution to the city’s shut-off, the news was met with applause from the audience of around 25 people.
“It is obvious from the citizens’ reaction last night that this is what they want,” he said Friday.
According to Presley, the new provider would pay a franchise fee each year equivalent to 2% of all residential and commercial customers’ bills for the year and the property taxes on poles, wires and other facilities would bring money into the city.
Also, the electricity rates would be managed by the Public Service Commission, instead of by the city.
During the meeting, Presley said under Entergy, Itta Bena residents will be paying the same for electricity rates as anyone in the state, even those “living in the country club in Jackson, Mississippi.”
On Friday, Presley said that he could not provide a timeline for establishing the new energy provider but that he is already working with Shad White, Mississippi’s state auditor, and his office to try to ease the transition.
“I do not think it will get fully solved by the end of this year or early 2021, but this is definitely a long-term solution for the citizens of Itta Bena,” he said.
Logan Reeves, a spokesman for the State Auditor’s Office, said that the staff is working with the Public Service Commission and legal counsel to try to make the coming transition as smooth as possible.
During Thursday’s meeting, several residents spoke and asked questions. One of those was Patricia Young, a vocal critic of the city’s electricity issues.
Young said that after seeing the citizens of Itta Bena come out to the meeting in person or watch it via livestream, she was amazed. “I think the residents are really excited about this,” she said Friday.
Young, who has been fighting what she calls unfair light bills in the city for over a year, said the meeting and the board’s vote gave her hope for the city’s future.
Presley said Thursday that Entergy’s rate is 10.5 cents per kilowatt hour. Young has said Itta Bena’s rate is at least 12 cents with some paying as much as 20 cents.
“You know, I have been praying for someone to come in and fix this,” Young said.
“I want to see the city of Itta Bena up and flourishing again.”
• Contact Adam Bakst at 581-7233 or abakst@gwcommonwealth.com. Twitter: @AdamBakst_GWCW
