Residents of Gilbert are looking at a heftier utility bill come April, thanks to a decision by the Town Council to raise wastewater rates. The move, decided in a public hearing on February 11, is intended to cover the costs of necessary infrastructure maintenance without resorting to debt. Sewer service, a critical piece of public health and the environmental infrastructure, will now cost users an additional $29.26 monthly, an increase set to begin next month.
According to the Town's official website, this all-cash approach, labeled ALT B, was the council's pick of two funding options they reviewed over several months. It's a decision that affects not just individual households but nonresidential customers who will see changes based on their monthly domestic water usage due to a volumetric rate supplementing a fixed one. Reclaimed water customers who are primarily HOAs, golf courses, schools, and parks will also need to brush up on the new rates specific to their usage.
The Town Council has spared Gilbert residents from an increase in Environmental Compliance fees for the time being. The fees, aimed at combating stormwater runoff and air pollution, remain unchanged. The financial plan for this particular fund is being deemed balanced for the upcoming years, the last spike having occurred in April 2023.
Addressing the impact of utility rate changes on residents' wallets, Gilbert introduced a Utility Bill Discount Pilot Program in early 2024. The program, designed as crisis prevention and financial aid for those in choppy economic waters, is under review "to improve the program’s effectiveness and will adjust as needed," the Town's website outlines. Gilbert offers five utility services, and the billing for each reflects the specific usage for residents or businesses, for everything from reclaimed water for expansive landscapes to options outside of the city's commercial refuse services for businesses.
