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MERIDIAN, Miss. (WTOK) – Meridian’s City Council has voted to raise water rates by 7 percent, meaning residents will pay $3 more for water and $10 more for sewer each month.
Felicia Outlaw came to the meeting on behalf of her mother and said the new rates are already taking a toll on families like hers.
“They are not comfortable with these water rates being increased. They’ve stated that it’s very hard on them because they have other financial obligations, and with these increases being increased each year, it’s like a burden on them,” says Outlaw.
Councilman Dewayne Davis was the lone “no” vote back in October of 2025. He says the increase hits residents who are already struggling — especially those on fixed incomes.
He says there could have been a better option for how the council went about the decision.
“We had options, and to me, that was the worst option that we picked because not only are we charging them $3 on the meter, $10 for the sewer, you also charge them a 7% increase on their annual bill every month. You got some residents here in Meridian, their income is pretty much solely what they live off of, and they can’t understand or try to figure out if I have to pay my water bill or my medication. People have set incomes when it comes down to that.”
Some residents say the rate hike is a wake-up call to stay involved.
Outlaw says, “Having a mother that lives in this county, I saw that it’s very vital. We can’t put our mouths on something until we sit in this auditorium and find out what’s going on verbatim,” Davis says, “Taxpayer dollars are what’s helping move Meridian. It’s not the city council, it’s not the administration, it’s not the department heads, it’s the citizens and their funding. That’s why I encourage them to come to the meetings, go to the community meetings, and question your city council person and your county supervisor. Ask questions. If you don’t ask questions, they’ll tell you what they want you to hear, and then you won’t get anything done in your situation.”
Davis says the city didn’t have to go this route. He points to the city’s water enterprise fund — money collected from residents’ water bills that’s meant to cover infrastructure and debt payments- as a possible way to ease the burden instead.
“It’s going to get better because as long as they, as long as they’re willing to learn as time goes on, I’m fine with that. But I’m trying to find a way, and there are ways where we can bring the water bill down because you got to understand, there’s an enterprise fund when we get for paying our consent decree or water bill or any kind of infrastructure, and we get over $22 million a year for people paying their water bill.”
Mayor Percy Bland has stated that the fees are necessary to keep improving the city’s aging water and sewer infrastructure.
reposted with permission from WTOK-TV. Copyright 2026 WTOK. All rights reserved.
