Cibolo Mobile Homes: Water Returns After Bill Dispute

Water service returned to residents of Shady Meadows Mobile Home Park in Cibolo, Texas, on Wednesday after a 24-hour outage.

Treva Carpenter, a co-owner of the property, stated that her business partner failed to pay the utility bill. Carpenter reported that the account had an outstanding balance of $22,000 dating back to 2023. She said the unpaid debt led to the service shutoff that affected tenants living off Farm-to-Market 78.

Julie Phillips, a resident who has lived at the park for more than 20 years, contacted Carpenter on Tuesday to report the lack of water. Carpenter negotiated with the City of Cibolo to restore service. The city agreed to turn the water back on after Carpenter committed to paying $8,050 by Wednesday. Carpenter also agreed to cover $6,000 in utilities by the end of the year. She told KSAT that she paid the city $8,150 out of her own funds.

Carpenter noted that some tenants are also behind on their rent payments. She said multiple renters owe thousands of dollars, which adds to the financial strain on the property. Phillips said she was relieved that the water was back on but expressed concern about her family's financial security. “I hope it stays on so we don’t have to move anywhere else, because we don’t have nothing saved up or anything like that to get out of here,” Phillips said.

Tenants discussed the possibility of a foreclosure, though Carpenter did not confirm that process had begun. The next scheduled payment deadline for the utility agreement is the end of the year.