Claiborne County commission votes to seek Public Service Commission help on high Entergy bills, tightens Blue Barn payment rules

PORT GIBSON, Miss. — The Claiborne County Poor Commission on March 3 voted to ask the Mississippi Public Service Commission to send a representative to explain unusually high commercial Entergy electricity bills for county property and approved several administrative steps intended to reduce utility costs and increase transparency for facility rentals.

The board voted to request assistance from the Mississippi Public Service Commission after members said Entergy declined to send a representative to explain commercial billing and told staff that its rates are set by the Public Service Commission. The board also approved a separate motion, moved by Mr. Roberts and seconded by Mr. Howard, to cut power to a hot-water heater at a county facility until the building is in active use. Commissioners said they will compare next month’s bills to the previous two months to see whether the cutoff reduces costs.

The discussion began after the board reviewed a letter from Entergy noting that the utility had no representative available to explain a “commercial billing” charge. The bill in question lists the service location as 1001 E P Spencer Drive, Fort Gibson, Mississippi, and an identifying number read in the meeting as 92148. Chairman Archie said the board still needs an explanation for the high charges and urged staff to contact the Public Service Commission. "We need to go to the public service commissioner and ask them to talk to explain," Chairman Archie said during the meeting.

Board members expressed concern that commercial minimum charges can produce high bills even when a building is seldom used. "Without having someone from Entergy here to discuss it with us," a board member said, it was difficult to confirm whether the high bill reflected minimum commercial rates, a continuous leak or running water, or another cause.

On the hot-water heater motion, Mr. Roberts moved that the heater be disabled "until at such time there's an activity or function taking place," a motion the board approved by voice vote. Mr. Roberts added that a designated breaker should be used to control the heater.

On facility rentals, the board approved a motion from Mrs. Chep requiring anyone who rents the Blue Barn Theater to pay with either a cashier's check or a money order for the amount set by the commission. The motion also directs administration to provide the board with notification showing when the money was paid and the account into which funds were deposited. The contract or rental form discussed in packets lists a figure of $750 as the posted amount for the facility; the board said that figure may be revisited later.

The board also authorized payment of engineering plan documents after a motion from Miss Chambers, seconded by Miss Brunson. Port Engineer Eric Jefferson Wagner presented that item during the meeting; the board approved payment by voice vote.

Other routine actions included approving the meeting agenda and the minutes from February (both approved by voice vote) and adjourning the meeting. Commissioners said they plan to contact the Mississippi Public Service Commission to request a representative who can explain Entergy’s commercial billing practices for the county’s facilities.

Why it matters: The actions aim to reduce recurring utility costs at county-owned properties and improve financial transparency for rentals of county facilities. The board’s request to the Public Service Commission seeks an external explanation of billing that county officials said they cannot resolve with Entergy staff over the phone.

What’s next: Staff were instructed to contact the Mississippi Public Service Commission to schedule a briefing; the board will compare upcoming utility bills with prior months after the hot-water heater cutoff and expects administrators to report back on any changes.