City staff and SAWS outline expanded outreach and enforcement options after CCR on multifamily water disconnections

City staff and San Antonio Water System (SAWS) officials told the San Antonio Municipal Utilities Committee on Feb. 2025 they have expanded outreach and coordination to address delinquent master‑metered multifamily accounts and will return to the committee with recommendations after legal and operational analysis.

The update follows a council‑initiated CCR asking staff and SAWS to examine preventive measures to avoid water disconnections at multifamily properties when landlords or property owners fail to pay master‑metered bills.

Mike Shen, city staff, summarized the city’s proactive apartment inspection program, which targets multifamily properties of five or more units and uses proactive inspections, notice and a fee structure to drive faster compliance. He said the program has completed more than 47,000 inspections across roughly 1,800 complexes since inception and that only 39 complexes have ever had to register in the proactive program; 18 of those subsequently “graduated” off the list.

SAWS outreach and collection timeline Cecilia (SAWS representative) described SAWS’ delinquent apartment account process. SAWS reviews accounts for potential disconnection after approximately 60 days past the initial bill, but it dedicates an extended multi‑week outreach sequence for master‑metered properties. The sequence SAWS described to the committee includes certified mailed notices to owners, multiple site visits, door hangers to notify tenants (with a two‑week, one‑week, then one‑day tenant notice cadence before possible disconnection), and on‑site presence during any actual disconnection to restore service quickly if payment is made.

Cecilia told the committee that SAWS selects 10–25 long‑delinquent apartment accounts monthly for this escalated outreach (accounts delinquent at least six months with no payment arrangement). In June 2024 SAWS executed disconnections at four apartment sites after the multi‑week process; SAWS said it stayed on site during and after any disconnection so service could be restored immediately if payment was made.

Numbers and trends SAWS provided historical data showing an increase in eligible apartments after COVID‑era assistance programs ended. SAWS reported that pre‑COVID (May 2019) fewer than 100 apartment accounts were eligible for disconnection; the number peaked during COVID‑era delinquencies and, as of January 2025, SAWS reported roughly 380 apartment accounts eligible for disconnection, representing about $2.9 million in past‑due balances. SAWS said the accounts it treats with the escalated outreach process have an average past‑due balance of about $4,800 per account but that the larger clusters include much higher balances.

Public comment and stakeholder positions Public commenters urged protections for residents. Anna Trevino of Texas Rising urged the committee to avoid increases in electricity rates and to consider protections that prevent electricity disconnections for apartment residents in good standing. Darby Riley of the Sierra Club urged council engagement with CPS Energy bond and governance documents. Ryan Baldwin, representing the San Antonio Apartment Association, said the association supports preventing disconnections but opposed amending the proactive apartment inspection ordinance to tie SAWS payment histories to the program, saying existing enforcement tools (notices of violation, certificate of occupancy revocation) can address issues.

Committee discussion and requested follow‑up Council members asked whether the proactive apartment inspection ordinance itself should be amended to make potential SAWS disconnection activity an enforcement trigger. City staff and SAWS said adding that trigger would require ordinance changes and legal review. Several council members called for additional tools to compel owner payment, including exploring lien authority; SAWS and the city legal office said they are already discussing lien authority and would work with the city attorney and finance staff to evaluate a lien tool’s costs and benefits. Committee members asked staff to return with a recommendation; the committee chair asked that staff present potential legal changes, enforcement options and cost‑benefit information at the next Municipal Utilities Committee meeting.

What the committee directed Staff and SAWS were asked to return with a recommendation and legal analysis on additional tools (including the feasibility of a lien program and other penalties or procedural changes) and to provide more detail on tenant outreach materials (door‑hanger QR codes, renter resources and legal‑aid links). The committee asked staff to come back at the next MUC meeting with a proposal for committee consideration.