Holly Springs blocks PSC investigation

Attorneys for the City of Holly Springs filed a temporary restraining order blocking the Show-Cause hearing of the Jan. 7 meeting of the Public Service Commission in Jackson.

PSC commissioners De’Keither A. Stamps, Chris R. Brown and Wayne Carr called the TRO tactic a sad day.

Stamps said the PSC has tried to compel Holly Springs to cooperate with the PSC investigation into the adequacy of service the HSUD is providing to the electric customers of the HSUD.

Commissioner Brown made a statement detailing the Commission’s reaction to the city’s refusal to cooperate with the investigation.

He said a group of people had come to the hearing because of their interest in the hearing.

“We asked the City to cooperate nine months ago,” he said.

The Show-Cause hearing was to try to gain the cooperation of the utility district and employees to understand the improvements HSUD has made, he said.

The Show-Cause hearing was to address the common concerns of the PSC regarding adequacy of service

“But instead, it’s delay, the 11th hour, we don’t even want to cooperate,” he said was the reponse of the City of Holly Springs to the investigation. “That’s shocking. It’s not right to the local citizens and we are going to stay the course until we help the people of HSUD.”

Brown said the PSC has asked the City to help numerous times.

“We’ll continue to ask them. We are going to continue to pursue this to try to resolve the issues in a utility district, that from the outside seems to have some serious issues.”

Brown said the Tennessee Valley Authority has said that out of its 130 or 140 local power companies it oversees, that the HSUD creates over 80 percent of the complaints TVA receives.

“But the City has chosen to say, we don’t have a problem,” Brown said. “We want to help them solve the problem because we’re hearing from the people of the HSUD. We’ve heard their stories and we are not going to turn our backs on them. We are going to continue to pursue this issue until it is resolved and that they have reasonably adequate service in that area."

Commissioner Stamps took a turn speaking to the circumstances leading to the blocking of the Jan. 7 hearing.

He said in effect, the refusal to participate is the “death knell” to the utility.

Sometimes the PSC has to make tough decisions and sometimes people don’t like them.

“Sometimes you got to hold folks down and apply some medication and put a bandaid on it,” Stamps said.

He said the PSC “talks as a team” to make decisions.

“If we are going to make meaningful decisions, we have to do it in a room together, and this is the only medium to do that,” he said. “So, when a utility stops us from a meeting, they’re stopping us from helping. So, that’s why I was against the filing of the TRO and I wish we could just get past this and get everybody at the table to work together to solve these issues for the people of Holly Springs and in the Holly Springs Service Area.”

Commissioner Carr spoke. “As my brothers have said, we’re here to help. Let’s not forget that we’ve been in contact with other people that’s wanting to help, too. We have other utility companies that are wanting to help, from vegetation clean-up to whatever the issues are. “We know what the issues are and we’re here to help. It’s hard to understand when you put your hand out to help and they slap it. That’s what’s happened today. We’ve been denied to help someone. Now we’ve changed the course in uncharted waters. “I would question the leadership that is making that choice. It’s not true leadership, in my opinion.” He asked is it going to take the loss of a life or for someone to get hurt to resolve the issues.

“It’s sad, a sad day that we have been denied to help our brothers, help our neighbors. It’s sad.” Stamps said he would say what other’s may not be able to say.

“You can’t shout racism to folks trying to help you. You just can’t do that. You gotta work together. We are showing what working together looks like,” he said, waiving to his fellow commissioners. “Even when we sometimes disagree, we rise up for the greater good of Mississippians’ taxpayers and ratepayers. That’s what we’re asking the leadership of Holly Springs to do.”

Brown concurred with Stamps.

He said when in Holly Springs conducting field hearings, the leadership of the Public Service Commission didn’t see individuals as races or as party affiliations or skin tone.

He said that is what the commissioners are asking the City of Holly Springs to do to help the people of the Holly Springs Utility Department.

“All we asked them today, was to give us access to the utility district’s employees, so we can discern and try to figure out what’s going on and to try to help them. I want the people of the Holly Springs district to know that we are going to help.

“We are going to stay the course as a group, because you are our neighbors and we care about you. We hear your voices. Just know we are not going to forget about you. We are going to continue to work with those who will work with us to try to make sure that utility district is functional.