Mississippi’s three-member public service commission will be present at a town hall meeting in north Mississippi to allow the public to discuss their qualms with the Holly Springs Utility Department.
For multiple years now, the Holly Springs Utility Department (HSUD) has been at the forefront of controversy as the city-run electricity provider has reportedly failed to provide adequate services. Customers in HSUD’s service area have long complained about perpetual power outages — some of which have lasted for longer than 24 hours despite there being no inclement weather conditions.
To give customers a voice, the town hall meeting will take place on Friday, March 21 at Marshall County Courtroom B starting at 6 p.m. Commissioners will be present to listen to customers’ concerns, provide information, and answer questions.
“I’m extremely grateful for the support from my fellow Commissioners as we all share the unified commitment of ensuring that all Mississippians receive reliable and affordable utility services,” Chairman Chris Brown of the Northern District said. “This meeting is an opportunity for us all to hear directly from customers and work together to find solutions for those who are suffering.”
An ongoing issue Brown has routinely called a “crisis,” officials have worked to find a remedy, but to little avail. During the 2024 legislative session, state lawmakers enacted a bill expanding the public service commission’s authority over public utility providers.
A few months later, the commission hired Pennsylvania-based firm Silverpoint Consulting to look into the operational side of HSUD while the Tennessee Valley Authority reviewed the utility provider’s finances. Brown told SuperTalk Mississippi News in January that the city had essentially railroaded Silverpoint’s efforts to access any pertinent information.
Due to HSUD’s noncompliance, the commission scheduled a show-cause hearing to take place earlier this year hoping Holly Springs officials could explain the perceived mismanagement of electricity services. City leaders filed a subsequent petition seeking to reschedule the meeting to a date after the 2025 Mississippi legislative session wraps up.
Petitioners first went to the commission to have the hearing delayed. That request was denied. The attorney representing the city of Holly Springs, state Sen. Bradford Blackmon, took to the Mississippi Supreme Court seeking relief.
The state’s high court denied the city’s petition, allowing for proceedings to be carried out at the Woolfolk Building in downtown Jackson as originally scheduled. But the court’s order left the door open for Holly Springs’ legal counsel to seek a temporary restraining order in the Hinds County Circuit Court — and that they did.
Though plans remain in place to hold the show-cause hearing after lawmakers gavel out of the capitol for the year, the public service commission is seeking input from those impacted by alleged shoddy services at the hands of HSUD. More than 80% of HSUD’s users live outside of Holly Springs city limits, yet they have no representation when decisions are made regarding utilities, and the three-member commission wants to change that.