Gilbert residents, in a town council meeting packed for the second time this month, articulated their grievances about rapidly escalating water bills. According to ABC15, these bills have tripled in recent years, raising concerns about affordability and the impact on the community's social fabric. "People are hurting," Bill Spence, a town resident, told the council, urging a rollback to the 2023 water rates, which he argued are more aligned with the "just and reasonable" clause of the Arizona Constitution.
Residents face a series of rate increases that have resulted in a 50% climb in April 2024, and another 25% hike in April this year, with a forthcoming 25% increase anticipated for April 2026. Amid these hikes, Sara Barker, a local since 1991, expressed her shock upon receiving a $700 bill, incredulous at the amount cited. "There’s no way I used that much water," she stated in an interview obtained by ABC15. Town leaders identified several contributors to the heightened bills: the phased-in increases, new water meters, and a new billing system that came into effect at the end of June.
The local government has initiated an audit of the water meters and has announced plans for listening sessions to address community concerns, the first scheduled for early November at Gilbert Town Hall. Furthermore, Jessica Marlow, the town’s public works director, stated that the increases are critical for ensuring Gilbert's future water supply, according to details from a town council meeting mentioned in azfamily.com. Improvements to the North Water Treatment Plant and the addition of nine new wells were cited as key projects necessitated by the rate increases.
Yet residents remain skeptical, with some pointing to new AMI smart meters, supplied by Mueller, as a potential source of inflated bills. Mueller is currently enmeshed in lawsuits nationwide over claims of inaccurate water usage reporting. "That's a 100% increase in three years. That's astronomical," Sarah Barker conveyed in desperation, according to azfamily.com. Despite this concern and the acknowledgement of frustration by Councilmember Jim Torgeson, the town insists on the necessity of these measures and has promised to address billing errors following the completion of the ongoing third-party audit. In the interim, the town is attempting to improve customer service by planning to hire temporary workers to manage an increase in call volume.
While the audits and additional personnel might provide some relief, the fundamental issue of the rate increases and the financial burden they impose on Gilbert's residents persist as unresolved. The question of how to reconcile this tension between financial sustainability of water infrastructures and the economic strain on individuals will continue to dominate conversations in Gilbert town halls for the foreseeable future.
