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RV park owner says new sewer charge triples his utility costs; city says ordinance constrains billing
Summary
Jay Patel, owner of Sunrise RV Park, told the board a new $31-per-spot sewer charge raised his monthly bill by roughly $3,500 and pushed utility costs to about 18% of revenue; staff said current billing follows city ordinance and any change will likely require an ordinance amendment.
Jay Patel, who identified himself as owner of Sunrise RV Park on the Texarkana side, told the board his average monthly water bills were about $2,800 but that starting Feb. 26 the utility added a fixed sewer charge of roughly $3,500 per month—$31 per spot for 114 spots. "Now that's an additional 10% of my income going to the water bill…So now a total of 18% of my income is going directly to the water company," Patel said.
Board members and staff responded that the utility is administering rates under an existing city ordinance that uses minimum-per-lot charges and master-meter rules. Staff said the city must follow the ordinance as written and that changing the billing method probably requires an ordinance amendment. City staff told Patel they are working with him and exploring options; they did not commit to an immediate billing adjustment.
Patel described his business as largely transient and said the charge is unsustainable for his model; the board asked staff to continue investigating options and to report back about potential ordinance changes or administrative remedies.
