Jackson City Council confirms a slate of appointments, returns benefits items to committee

At a special meeting on Nov. 24, the Jackson City Council confirmed a series of mayoral appointments to boards and commissions and deferred city benefits items for further review.

Appointments and confirmations: The council confirmed the mayor's appointment of Akela Irving to the Jackson Public School District board for Ward 1; Irving described herself as a JPS alum and parent and said she aims to repurpose unused school buildings, improve district grading and make the district more competitive. The council also confirmed appointments and reappointments to the Municipal Election Commission (including Mia Dion McIntyre, Anthony Bonacci, Sandra Griffin McCall and Irene Johnson Williams), Michael Booker to the planning board, and John David Cole and Dr. Larry Nixon as representatives to the Central Mississippi Planning and Development District. Most confirmations were approved without extended debate and recorded as unanimous in the meeting (5-0 where tallies were read).

Benefits and procedure: Councilmembers discussed a proposed renewal agreement with Delta Dental for employee/retiree dental coverage for calendar year 2026. A city staffer said the recommended plan preserves a larger dental provider network but will result in a modest increase for employees of about $2 per pay period. The staff member also said that comparisons with other vendors showed lower premiums but much smaller provider networks, which influenced the recommendation.

A public commenter was cited as saying a different vendor would save the city $100,000, but staff said that figure did not apply to the city because employee-paid dental premiums do not reduce city payroll costs. Several councilmembers raised procedural concerns about taking the item up at a special called meeting rather than in committee; the mayor agreed to return the dental and related insurance items to committee for further evaluation and to finalize numbers before open enrollment.

Quotes from appointees and officials: Mia Dion McIntyre introduced herself to the council: "My name is Mia Dion McIntyre. I've been a resident of Ward 4 my entire life... I've been doing election polls for many, many years." John David Cole, the mayor's nominee to CMPDD, said he was "honored" and emphasized leveraging federal and matching funds for Jackson.

What happens next: Council members asked staff to bring benefits recommendations back to committee quickly because open enrollment timelines were imminent. The council scheduled follow-up committee meetings and individual briefings to align staff and council expectations before final votes.