People in Warren trailer community feel new shared utility bill system is unfair

People living in a trailer community in Warren are frustrated with their new management and the way they are now being billed for water and sewer.

Some living in Brentwood Manor said out of nowhere they received bills this month that nearly doubled going from around $80 a month to more than $160 for both services.

It’s because of a new setup called Ratio Utilities Billing System or RUBS. Before, each trailer received a bill based on its individual usage. Now under RUBS, the entire community will evenly chip in for one joint bill no matter how much they use.

“Why should someone living alone be paying the same as someone who has four kids in one house and have to use a lot of water,” one resident who wanted to remain anonymous told 21 news. “It feels to me it will only fuel anger between neighbors.”

Some in the community live on fixed incomes and disability and said these bills are impossible to afford.

“The people that are in this trailer park we’re all here for a reason and we’re not made of money and you keep bleeding stones,” John Jones who has lived in Brentwood Manor for four years now.

In a letter to residents, the property manager is calling it a “fair distribution” that “encourages water conservation.”

We reached out to the property managers but did not get a response to why this new system was put in place.

Some of the people we spoke to said they’ve been trying to reach managers with no luck. Some plan to get legal representation in the future to try and get their bill rates switched back.

“We're one step from homelessness so we have nowhere to go after this,” a resident said.