The Ward 3 office recently met with County Supervisor Sylvia Lee, Pima County Administrator Jan Lesher, and Pima County Staff to discuss an all too common problem that faces many residents of older mobile home parks- overcharging residents for utilities. Up until the mid-1970s, most mobile home parks had a “master meter” for utilities such as gas, electricity, and water. This meant that one utility bill was provided to the owner of the park who then charged the residents individually. This kind of setup is no longer legal, but all the older parks were “grandfathered” in, meaning they don’t have to comply. Due to the lack of individual meters, residents have no idea how much electricity (gas or water) they use. This system appears ripe for predatory landlords, out-of-state owners, and speculators to overcharge residents with the threat of eviction for non-payment. Raye Winch from Poder Casas Móviles brought the matter forward to local officials after hearing from residents about large utility bills (sometimes more than their monthly rent) that they feel are not accurate. This was the first meeting in trying to untangle which agency is responsible for oversight and how we as local government can address this issue that impacts low-income and elderly residents of Tucson.
From left to right: Teresa Bravo, Tucson Electric Power; Katie Bolger, Chief of Staff Ward 3; Kevin Dahl, Ward 3 Council Member and Vice Mayor; Dr. Sylvia Lee, District 3 Pima County Supervisor; Raye Winch, Poder Casas Moviles; Jan Lesher, Pima County Administrator; Maria Klucarova, Pima County District 3 Chief of Staff; Kate Hiller, Pima County District 1; Kim Briggs, Pima County District 1; Andy Flagg, Pima County Deputy Director for Community
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