Already grappling with regular increases to monthly space rent for their manufactured homes, residents of Medford Estates say they were horrified when water bills — previously in the $20 or $30 range — increased by triple, quadruple and even ten-fold beginning in late summer.

Residents of the sprawling community off South Pacific Highway took to social media in recent weeks, posting photos of water bills for their two- and three-bedroom mobile homes that showed totals of more than $200 and $300 for monthly water use. In one case, a resident provided a copy of a $713 water bill to the Rogue Valley Times.

Park management has declined to comment on the drastic increases, leaving residents reaching out to government officials and local media for help.

Medford Estates resident Kimberly McKissick said she worries for friends and neighbors in the park who say they’re unable to make ends meet because of the exorbitant water bills coupled with regular space rent increases.

McKissick purchased a new manufactured home in the park — owned by Cal-Am Properties, according to county property records — in July 2023. The park, she said, was an affordable living option and close to the school her children were attending.

“After they increased space rent to $890, on top of a mortgage that’s $1,215, I pay almost $2,200 a month … to live in a mobile home,” McKissick said.

“Everybody is already maxed out as it is, so then to have our water go from $15 to $20 a month to $100 or $200 — or in some cases way more than that — people are afraid they won’t be able to afford to stay in their homes.”

McKissick said her water bills during summer were between $13 and $31. In October, her bill spiked to more than $95. November came in at $85, with no increase in usage. Neighbors, she noted, have had even more drastic increases.

McKissick posted in a group for residents of the park where people voiced frustration about the sudden billing increase. Most declined to comment to the Times when contacted, saying they were afraid of retaliation for speaking out.

Tucked along the east side of South Pacific Highway between Medford and Phoenix, the park is made up of an older section and a newer section of homes with several dozen vacant lots where homes are being sold. Residents moving into the park are asked to purchase a specific style and color of home to be brought in.

The Times has made repeated attempts to contact park managers, via phone and email, but did not receive a response. The company, in business for over three decades, operates mobile home parks for families and seniors in a half-dozen states, including Oregon and California.

The park had a portion that burned during the Almeda Fire in September 2020, but a section of older manufactured homes survived the flames. Previously served by the now-defunct Charlotte Ann Water District, customers voted May 16 to dissolve the small district and attain water service from the city of Phoenix.

City officials adopted a resolution, effective July 1, to establish water rates for the customers located just inside the city’s urban growth boundary. Water rates for customers located outside city limits, city officials said, are 1.5 times the rate as city residents pay.

The city established the rate to account for additional expenses and recover the cost of the $2.1 million infrastructure investment to service the additional area. Phoenix officials, however, said water bills produced by park residents are not in line with how much the city would bill for customers living outside city limits.

Zac Moody, community development director for the city of Phoenix, said he has heard from multiple residents concerned about increased water bills but that the city merely bills the park for water usage. Moody said overall usage by the park had not exceeded the city’s base rate for the past four months.

“They have 191 units. If you divide it up, it doesn’t exceed the base rate of $68.50. They have a third-party biller, presumably billing based on gallons of water used,” Moody said. “We send them one bill each month, and I can confirm that the last four months’ billing has been consistently under the base usage.

“For every one unit they have, they get 5,000 gallons of water based on our minimum rate billing. … We heard from residents who are getting $200 bills for using the same amount of water they used last year,” he said. “One woman had a $237 bill who used about 15,000 gallons of water. … If somebody used 15,000, they’d be in the $104 neighborhood, if it were being directly billed by the city.”

Examples of water billing on the city’s website showed the difference between city residents and those outside city limits. A single family with a total water consumption of 14,212 gallons would be billed $78.64 for a residential customer inside city limits and $106.03 for a residential customer outside city limits.

Moody said he talked to a resident who produced a $713 bill but was told the bill was in error. The resident declined to be interviewed but provided proof of the $713 bill to the Times and said the large balance had carried forward to her most recent water bill.

According to utility billing information from the Oregon Housing and Community Services, a landlord must post facility water bills in a space accessible to tenants, and third-party billing cannot exceed the amount being paid to the utility.

Kristine Stephens-Norris, a resident of the park for the past six years, said she’s heard from neighbors shocked by the increased bills but who are afraid to speak out.

Stephens-Norris said her water bill jumped more than 130% from $50.45 in November 2023 to $276.43 in November 2024 for similar water usage. Stephens-Norris said her highest bill was for $314.18 in October. When she contacted park management, she was told the rates were accurate and “based on city water rates.”

“My usage, supposedly, is 10,000 gallons. … If I were to go into a gas station and ask for 5,000 gallons of gas, at that rate my price would be $18,300. So, at the monthly rate of $68 for the first 5,000 gallons, and adding my additional 5,000 gallons (of water), my bill would be $18,368,” she said.

“My bill had always been between $40 and $60. I work 50 hours a week, and there’s one person at home all day. My space rent has gradually been increasing, which is not great, but for water to increase by that much. … They’ve taken the affordable out of affordable housing.”

For now, Stephens-Norris said she’s paid the increase while residents wait for clarification.

“I feel blessed that I can manage. I have extra funds so I can afford an extra water bill, even if it’s unjust,” she said.

“But what about people who don’t have that option? What about families or these little old ladies on a fixed income? What happens when they can’t pay?”

Emilee Wilchek, who lives in an older section of the park not burned in the Almeda Fire, said her own efforts to reach out to park management were met with non-replies or limited answers. While her bill previously hovered “around $25 per month,” Wilchek said her bill jumped suddenly in July to $282 and to $298 in September.

Told by park management to check for leaks, Wilchek said a recent remodel of her home found no leaks.

“It doesn’t make sense, but they won’t give us any answers and most of the time you don’t even get a call back. I lived in Happy Camp, and I got burned out of there the same day the Almeda Fire happened here. A lot of these people have already been through so much and now this,” Wilchek said.

“They know this is going on, but they won’t even respond. … The whole thing is disgusting and makes me want to cry and vomit at the same time. They’re just completely taking advantage of people,” Wilcheck said.