What happened to Jackson’s two percent sales tax-funded projects?

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - Broken roads and worn-down buildings aren’t new to Jackson, But six years ago, legislators fought to change that.

The Capitol Complex Bill was made to create an advisory board that would deem what infrastructure needs around the Capitol Complex Improvement District were most urgent.

The way it’s funded is by using two percent of every purchase you make inside city limits.

“We just want to make sure that we’re being good stewards of the taxpayer dollars,” Rebekah Staples, the chairwoman of the CCID’s advisory board said.

In 2019, the board selected nine projects for priority construction, but just because they’re a priority, doesn’t mean they can be completed in a rush.

“What we do is go in head-to-toe. Do we need to replace water lines, sewer lines, drainage, resurfacing, so it’s very comprehensive,” Staples said.

As of now, six of the nine projects outlined in the first Master Plan have been completed. One still on the docket is repaving the stretch of State Street that spans from Mississippi Street to Fortification Street.

This project is one that Jackson resident McKinley Pierce is more than ready to see get started and get finished.

“We need to get these roads paved. A lot of people I know have been going through tires, I’m going through tires, my kids are going through tires, so it should be at the top of the priority list,” he said.

According to Staples, the remaining three projects are expected to be completed within the next two years.

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