A councilman's sole vote will prevent Jackson from "stabilizing" its troubled water hardware and billing system as it works to make its debt payments and stave off what officials say could result in a possible federal takeover of the system.

A majority of the City Council on Thursday — despite several concerns — voted for an up to $7 million emergency loan to make immediate improvements to the city's water meter and billing system.

The 5-1 vote followed a contentious debate between council members and the administration and a warning from Stephen Edds, an attorney with Butler Snow who is helping the city to review its financial options.

"Unless there are improvements made to the water/sewer system, it's highly unlikely it will have generated sufficient revenue to make its debt service payments. The failure to do that would have a significantly adverse effect on the city itself," he said.

Billions of gallons of sewage:7 years later, Jackson is struggling to meet EPA terms

Since the city is under a consent decree, Edds then referenced the possibility of the EPA putting the city in receivership where it would take over all financial decisions if its determined the city cannot pay its debts.

Councilman Aaron Banks, whose Ward 6 covers south Jackson, was the sole no vote and Councilman Kenneth Stokes was absent. Banks' vote prevented the loan from going through since emergency resolutions need a unanimous vote.

Banks said he made the decision after talking with several residents in his ward, including a "task force." He cited past requests by the Public Works department to cover deficits in the department, questioning how that money was spent.

Bond rating:Moody's downgrades Jackson over water and sewer challenges

The councilman then accused the department's director, Bob Miller, of not being transparent with the public about the city's water system, and said he wasn't convinced the additional funding would "guarantee" a fix.

He asked Miller and administration officials to make that assurance.

"I will point out that this is a standard that this council has never asked of any previous decision that has ever been made," Miller said.

"This represents my best professional judgment. It represents our best option to stabilize the system," he said.

Mayor strikes back at councilman

Shortly after the vote, Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba — in an unusual move — convened the media in a side room of City Hall.

There, he accused Banks of "counseling" with former city contractors who are now being sued along with Siemens by the city for the improper installation of the water meter system.

"This vote was absolutely critical," the mayor began. "But a single vote instructed by the people who installed the system will stop us from repairing it."

Several council members expressed dissatisfaction with the request but said they saw no other way forward.

Millions in revenue lost:20,000 customers not being billed is costing Jackson

Councilman Melvin Priester Jr. described the catch 22 the city finds itself in, where it requires funding to fix the billing system, but at the same time, is relying on an increase in collections to pay for it.

The councilman compared the situation to a patient with cancer.

"This system has been a cancer for us. Chemo has not worked. My doctor has presented a plan. Is there a guarantee? No. What I do know is the adverse consequences of stopping treatment is horrible."

"And until someone shows me another option, this sounds like discontinuing cancer treatment, and honestly, I don't see any other options," he said.

Councilman De'Keither Stamps warned that if this "fix" doesn't work, it could lead to raising water and sewer rates and property taxes.

Water collections key to city's financial future

Miller said collections are improving and cited a month-to-month increase for 13 of the last 17 months. But it's not enough.

In the last two years, the department has borrowed $13.5 million from the city's general fund. Another $2.77 million has been paid to contractors to fix the system.

Administration officials say that's the price of making improvements to a system that loses out on more than $20 million of water collections a year. Securing that revenue is widely seen as one of the most important financial moves the city can make for its future.

"We have a bad system, period. We must stabilize it to move forward," Lumumba said.

"When you lose control of your water, you lose control of your city," the mayor said.

Contact Justin Vicory at 769-572-1418 or jvicory@gannett.com. Follow @justinvicory on Twitter.

Bailout approved:Larger question looms: How will Jackson's convention center survive?