MANSFIELD – The poplation in Mansfield is 47,381 people, roughly a quarter of them live in poverty.
Melissa Aldridge is one of those people.
“I’m just a basic, simple citizen,” Aldridge said during public comment at Tuesday’s city council meeting. “I’m part of the 25 percent of Mansfield’s population living below the poverty level, and I wish to address the basic, simple need for affordable water fees.”
Aldridge has made efforts to lower her water fees. She hasn’t seen the impact.
“Even when I whittled my water usage to $19, add in the current fees, and that bill is closer to 50 bucks,” Aldridge said. “So I asked Google, ‘Is it normal for service fees to be more than the service?’
“Google says this is abnormal and could even be considered a predatory technique used to discriminate against the most vulnerable. Speaking of the most vulnerable, time is of the essence because 39 percent of children in Mansfield experience poverty.”
Aldridge suggested a sliding scale in fees according to one’s household income. One’s fees would be higher if they made more money and lower if they made less.
Her call to action coincides with Mansfield’s ongoing beautification project. If priced out of water, Aldridge said, Mansfield’s impoverished community is excluded from that project.
“I’m all for beautification,” Aldridge said. “Children, veterans, the disabled, and the elderly (are) going without showers, baths … having to wear the same clothes as yesterday.
“Their basic needs are being ignored. I’m not for that … This leaves 25 percent of Mansfield’s population out of this beautification.”
It’s not just beauty a lack of access to water blocks, however. It’s safety, too. Open wounds can turn into infections. People with health conditions like diabetes can be negatively affected as well, Aldridge said.
“We can’t paint or spruce up our properties without water for clean-up,” Aldridge said. “I can’t power wash my sidewalks, my porches, siding, garages, or sheds … Self-sustaining (myself)? No, I can’t garden.”
Aldridge has seen her water bill climb, regardless of usage, causing her and her neighbors to suffer.
The comment was made during a meeting where legislation was agreed upon to demolish nine properties deemed “insecure, unsafe, structurally defective and dangerous to life and other property.”
“We deserve the basic, simple necessities, and we shouldn’t be put in a position to have to beg, borrow or steal to get it,” Aldridge said. “As I understand it, the mayor and the city council are the only ones who can make these adjustments.
“Thirty-nine percent of our population is counting on you. Please remember, this is also a great percentage of the population who will be making voting decisions when it’s your turn to get old and disabled.”
