PARIS, TEXAS – The City of Paris is aware that many water customers are concerned about their most recent bill, particularly the sewer portion. Each year, the March billing cycle includes updating the winter average sewer usage calculations.
The city uses winter averaging to calculate sewer rates. Typically, the average water usage from November, January, and February is used to calculate a fixed sewage usage amount for the next year, which takes effect in the March billing cycle. This calculation is called the winter average.
Winter averaging allows customers to use more water during summer months for activities like lawn watering, pool filling, or additional laundry from sporting activities without paying sewer fees for that water.
The city has noted that data from the February 2026 billing cycle indicates that overall water usage in Paris that month was higher than in previous years.
“In the last few days, many Paris water customers have been reaching out to me personally to assist with water bill concerns,” Paris Mayor Mihir Pankaj said. “City staff stands ready to help citizens who seek to better understand their water bills. Due to the volume of requests, a special email and phone line is being established to field those concerns.”
Any water customer seeking additional information is asked to email their name, service address, phone number and a description of their concerns to water2026@paristexas.gov or include that information in a message to 903-246-9107. Staff will contact and respond to customers as quickly as possible, on a first-come, first-served basis.
“Using a case-by-case evaluation, our staff will review billing to determine if the winter average is appropriate or not,” said City Manager Rose Beverly. “If February usage for a particular bill was abnormally high, staff may review the previous 12 months to determine if another month might be substituted for calculating the winter average.”
The special email address and phone numbers for this process will remain active until at least June 1, 2026.