The Jackson City Council consists of seven Councilpersons representing the 7 wards of Jackson. The Mayor of Jackson also has a seat on the City Council but is unable to vote. The current city council members are:
Ward 1 – Ashby Foote
Ward 2 – Melvin Priester, Jr.
Ward 3 – Kenneth I. Stokes
Ward 4 – De’Keither Stamps
Ward 5 – Charles Tillman
Ward 6 – Aaron Banks
Ward 7 – Virgi Lindsey
Jackson has a Mayor-Council form of government, meaning it’s a check and balance type of system. The Mayor has the power to create laws via executive order, has authority over all city departments, and drafts the City Budget. The City Council also has the power to approve or disapprove of the City Budget. It can also create laws, but the mayor has the power to veto those laws if she/he deems that necessary. For example, in 2019 the Office of the Mayor engaged in Participatory Budgeting process fo include residents in setting the priorities for the City budget. The City Council then voted on the budget, with four of the Council people voting to pass the “People’s Budget” and three of the Council people voting against passage.
On Tuesday the City Council voted 3-2 to authorize the Mayor’s right to execute contracts for the city in the total amount of $7,401,794.02. The bulk of the monies approved went to contracts between the city and the following companies;
Mayor Lumumba announced installation parking meters were “finally here”. Though no official announcement has been made, Lumumba was encouraged.
During Tuesday’s City Council meeting, Councilman Stokes introduced a plan to increase the minimum wage of Jackson’s city employees to $15 an hour.
