Trailer-park residents challenge new lot-rent and water/sewer rates; board keeps 3% escalator for now

Brad Corkle, a resident of the Alcoa Trailer Park, told the Natrona County Parks Board during public comment that lot rents and the 2012 appraisal used to set rents appeared biased and that trailer-park residents deserve parity with the ski and boat clubs. He requested the board consider gated access and a professional, independent rental assessment paid for by the Trailer Park Association.

Parks Director Michael Brown responded with the board's financial picture for water and sewer at Alcoa. He said the district has construction drawings and an engineered estimate of $4,000,000 to replace the park's water and sewer system and that the water/sewer restricted fund held about $132,000 as of the last fiscal year. Brown said the proposed new service fee of $305 per lot (which combines water, sewer and trash) would generate roughly $32,000 more annually to begin building reserves for capital failures and routine repair needs, such as replacement lift-station pumps that are projected to cost about $16,000$20,000.

Brown explained the sewer charge is based on 60% of water use (rather than direct meter reads) because park meters are unreliable; the proposed water and sewer calculations would result in $47,716 in water/sewer revenue for the trailer park under the new rates. He also described prior periods during which trailer-park permittees were not charged for water and sewer and said the parks office had been working to align charges with market comparisons and with the management agreement's direction to use Wyoming cost-of-living indices.

Board members told residents they would allow the Trailer Park Association to commission and present a nonbiased, third-party rental assessment paid for by the association. The board, however, agreed to submit the current draft lot permits with a 3% fixed escalator for the next five years to the Bureau of Reclamation so that permits could be issued before the existing permits expire on May 18, 2026. Director Brown said he would remove or revise the fixed-escalator language later if the board and Bureau of Reclamation approve a different approach after the association's appraisal.

The board and residents discussed timing: the association hoped to complete an appraisal this summer but acknowledged it may not be ready before the renewal deadline. Trustees emphasized transparency and said they would review any professionally produced rent assessment the association submits; final authority over permit language and lot rates rests with the Bureau of Reclamation.

The decision to proceed with current permit language was presented as a pragmatic step to avoid a lapse in permits, not as a final determination on long-term rates. The board directed staff to accept a later submission from the Trailer Park Association for consideration in revisions and to coordinate any required follow-up with the Bureau of Reclamation.