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Council hears complaint about Sherwood Trailer Park metering, disputed billing
Summary
A council member said Sherwood Trailer Park was billed as commercial, generating a large back bill that was passed on to residents; the city will refer the owner to staff for review.
Council members relayed a Sherwood Trailer Park complaint about utility metering and billing. A council member said the park operator has two main meters and charges residents a rate; the operator was billed as commercial in error, the council member said, and then billed an additional roughly “3 or $5,000” that the operator paid and then attempted to recoup by raising resident rates.
Why it matters: metering classification (commercial vs. residential) determines utility rates and can create significant one-time bills that affect low-income tenants when operators pass costs along.
What was said: a council member asked whether the city can require individual meters for trailers and asked whether staff could provide a contact to review the billing and billing history; the council member said the park paid the disputed bill and increased residents’ rates to recoup the charge. That council member asked staff to take the case and provide a follow-up.
What the city will do: staff asked the council member to refer the owner to a city contact so staff can review the billing history and the park’s metering arrangement; staff acknowledged they will follow up.
Context: the transcript does not include the utility department’s technical analysis or an immediate staff determination of responsibility; the council recommended that the owner be referred to staff for investigation.
