Residents packed Tuesday’s Gilbert Town Council meeting to demand answers about soaring utility bills following recent rate increases on water and wastewater services.
Public Works Director Jessica Marlow acknowledged residents’ frustration and outlined steps the town is taking to verify billing accuracy and provide relief.
Marlow told councilors the average customer saw about a $40 monthly increase beginning in April, when water rates rose 25% and wastewater charges went up about $30 a month, though some in the crowd derisively laughed when she gave the figure.
The April hikes followed a 50% increase in 2024, part of a three-year water rate plan adopted by council.
Marlow said the town will hire an independent contractor to audit its meters and automated reading system, with results to be made public.
“We are committed to making sure the bills are accurate and that the residents are getting accurately charged for the water that they're using,” she said.
Marlow added that newer, more sensitive meters could be detecting small leaks older meters missed, while some residents’ bills may reflect unpaid balances after the rollout of the new billing portal required re-enrolling in autopay.
She said the town will expand customer service and extend its moratorium on late fees and shutoffs until the audit is complete. Additionally, some residents may qualify for bill assistance through nonprofit AZCEND.
Council members were concern about communication and the financial impact on residents. Councilmember Chuck Bongiovanni shared his own experience of a bill that jumped from $260 to $850 due to a broken, 20-year-old meter and multiple irrigation leaks, which were later fixed.
He said he supported the audit and urged the town to proactively contact residents when it detects abnormal water use.
Marlow said the town is planning community “listening sessions” within 60 days to allow more direct dialogue with residents.
During two public-comment sessions, residents described sharp bill increases and questioned the town’s billing accuracy.
“Our once-averaged $60 to $80 monthly water bill ballooned to $250 to $400 with no change in usage,” said Melanie Winfield, who runs a small farm in the White Fence Farms neighborhood.
She said the current tiered billing system “penalizes sustainability” for families on larger lots who maintain agricultural space.
Several residents, including Barbara Colvin, said they faced long hold times or disconnections when calling the town for help and scoffed at town officials asking for people to reach out to them.
“You need to improve a little bit more on the receiving of the reaching out,” Colvin told council members.
Gilbert officials did have water officials and customer service representatives available in the lobby of Town Hall during the meeting to address customers' specific situations.
Other residents at the meeting said they believed their meters were faulty. Amy Bejarano, who said her meter’s radio transmitter was configured incorrectly, told the council she was billed for 75,000 gallons of water at her home that sits on an eighth of an acre with little grass.
“There is no possible way I am possibly using 75,000 gallons,” she said.
Marlow said about 3,400 meters have been replaced this year, with only 14 returned for warranty issues, and promised the town will adjust bills where verified errors are found.
The council did not take any action Tuesday but indicated it would revisit the issue once the audit results are complete and the community sessions are held.
Meet Tom Tom Blodgett joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2022, when the company acquired Community Impact Newspaper's Phoenix-area properties. Raised in Arizona, he has spent more than 35 years in journalism in the state.
Community: He has served as an instructional professional in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication since 2005, and is editorial adviser to The State Press, the university's independent student media outlet. He also is director of operations for an 18U girls fastpitch softball team from Gilbert.
Education: Arizona State University with a BS in Journalism.
Random Fact: He lived in Belgium during his freshman year of high school.
Hobbies: Tweeting enthusiastically about ASU softball (season-ticket holder) and grumpily about other local sports (pessimistic fan).
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