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Gilbert - - An endless nightmare for Gilbert residents continues as utility prices soar to astronomical levels. Countless residents flock to Town Council meetings to express their frustration and make their distress and financial hardship heard front and center.
Since April of 2024, Town of Gilbert water rates have already swelled 75% from the initial 50% increase to an additional 25% increase in April of 2025. The raise in rates is expected to round out in April of 2026 with a final increase of yet another 25%, totalling a 100% increase in just two years’ time.
The justification provided by the Town of Gilbert for these rate increases and its customers’ inability to understand their latest utility bills ranges from new water meters and a new portal billing system to tax breaks for developers from former administrations. A statement on the town’s website promises to share the third-party audit results of meters manufactured by a company called Mueller with multiple open lawsuits for faulty equipment.
Ongoing complaints regarding the skyrocketing cost of water were heard at the Oct. 28 GIlbert Town Council meeting, where residents brought forth personal billing data and anecdotes to corroborate the unaffordable rate increases.
During the public comment period in the Oct. 28 meeting, Gilbert resident Bill Spence spoke about his concerns with the legality of the recent rate increases, citing a report by local engineer Darrell Grossen which illuminated details that do not fall within the scope of the town’s third-party audit of its new water meter systems.
Grossen’s report, which draws upon available data collected by him from other town residents and the town’s website, lays real cost analyses overtop of the town’s alleged rate increases. The report offers data supporting claims that resident bills are not limited to the town’s reported increases, but are actually much higher, ranging from 116% to 305% in the most extreme cases. He includes inflation in his calculations.
Photo credit: Nextdoor (Darrell Grossen)
In his statement, Spence points out that against Arizona law, “rates being charged may not reflect what was noticed to the public.” He argues that, if found to be true, this oversight could legally void increases from the years of 2022-2024, as well as those from 2021-2022. “Simply put,” Spence continues, “it appears that the town may not have satisfied the requirements to impose these utility rates.”
Long-term Gilbert resident Sarah Barker spoke about her struggle with being blindsided by a monstrous bill due to the recent changes to the online utility payment portal, which she states has prevented her from accessing her bill since June of this year.
“When you guys changed the portal in June, and gave us a broken link that wouldn’t work, we were unable to look at our bills. I was unable to look at my bills until September,” said Barker. “I was floored last night with a bill that was over $700”. Barker explained that she had made two payments of $300 each without knowing her actual debt before this bill became available.
“I work for the public school system”, she explained, “There’s no way I can afford that kind of water bill every month.”
The same solemn sentiment has been repeated in past weeks at Town Council meetings with no indicators of rates rolling back to provide relief.
A comment from councilmember Chuck Bongiovanni on a post on the Nextdoor platform in which a resident announces a news segment on the ongoing water crisis suggests that the primary reason for these dramatic increases is due to a lack of proper taxation on developers in Gilbert, which were intentionally overlooked by former administrations to build high-density developments.
Another contributing factor presented by councilmember Bongiovanni in the article he offered in his comment was the harsh cuts to the water infrastructure maintenance budget in favor of new parks and recreation developments approved by the administration led by former Town Mayor John Lewis.
While these past oversights add up to the current water crisis in the Town of Gilbert, drastic reevaluation is pertinent to determine whether these rapid and steep water rate increases may do more harm to Gilbert residents now than good to the community in the future.
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