City of Jackson Between a Rock and a Hard Place on Waste Water Contract Dispute
As reported by the Clarion-Ledger, the City of Jackson now faces two conflicting rulings by Hinds County judges on the City's waste water contract.
Last week Hinds County Circuit Court Judge Swan Yerger threatened to throw City leaders in jail unless the City complied with an order to award the contract to United Water Services. I discussed Judge Yerger's ruling in this post.
But on Thursday Hinds County Chancellor Dewayne Thomas issued this order granting a preliminary injunction that orders the City to not terminate its contract with Jackson Water Partnership.
If the City complies with Judge Thomas' Order, then it will be in violation of Judge Yerger's Order. But if the City complies with Judge Yerger's Order, then it will be in violation of Judge Thomas' Order.
If I'm Jackson City Attorney Pieter Teeuwissen, this would remind me of the scene from the movie Airplane where Lloyd Bridges says: “looks like I picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue.”
Now comes news that Judge Yerger has ordered attorneys for the City and United Water to appear before him at 1:00 p.m. today.
Should be real interesting.
I happened to be in the courthouse when the 1:00 hearing was about to start, so I stuck my head in to watch. I thought everyone did a great job, total composure by both sides. Pieter was essentially stuck with "damned if you, damned if you don't," and that is essentially what he told the judge.