JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Jackson City Councilman Kenneth Stokes is criticizing the city’s fiscal plan to replace Jackson’s water system.

Stokes said interim third-party manager Ted Henifin’s billing plan will force some residents to pay for water they’re not using.

On Friday, Henifin proposed a plan to introduce a new water payment model that would base fees on property values rather that meter readings.

Stokes said the city council recommended that water bills be set at $50 a month until the system is repaired.

“He’s trying to find a way to get people to pay whether they have a bill of not so that the water department can generate money. He needs to meet with people in these poor neighborhoods because people are getting cut off notices and everything else and they do not owe these bills. They’re going to lose confidence in him. Once that happens and they start to have these class action lawsuits, it’s going to put him in jeopardy and the City of Jackson,” said Stokes.

Henifin’s plan could be blocked. On Thursday, the state Senate approved a bill that bans a city from using property values to calculate water bills.