(GILBERT) – Tensions were high and etiquette warnings were plentiful as residents flocked to the podium to repeat themselves once again: nobody can afford the rising water rates.
However many times it’s uttered into the public podium microphone, though, it doesn’t seem to change the fact that rates are going up again, and soon.
An announcement was made at the Dec.16 Gilbert town council meeting introducing the next phase of water rate increases.
(Photo: Teri Tracy)
Despite the disheartened pleas of those who have attended council meetings to speak for months, the council is weighing the options to move forward with rate increases. The most likely candidate is Option A, raising rates an additional 25% in April of 2026, followed by subsequent 5% increases in both 2028 and 2029.
This increase is preceded by a total increase of 75% since 2024, which already financially impacts much of the community. Past meetings have been similarly flooded with residents near or in tears brought on by their unaffordable utility bills, though that’s exactly how Water Manager Rebecca Hamil refers to them.
(Photo: Teri Tracy/Town of Gilbert)
“Raising water rates is the last resort”, Hamill says of what she describes as “tough decision-making.
The hour-long presentation led by Hamill and Solid Waste and Recycling Manager Isaiah Romero focused heavily on the usage of water in residential areas, designating outdoor water use for single-family homes as the primary use of water in the town, which sits at 50% to 70% of the town’s water usage.
Though the use of residential outdoor water is high, resident and repeat public commenter Barbara Calvin deems apartment buildings as equal culprits.
(Photo: YouTube)
“You provide breaks for apartments, condos, and commercial businesses,” Calvin argues during her segment, referencing the tiered water rate system.
Her statement echoes the sentiment of other residents who are facing single-family home rates on the tiered system. Generational resident and owner/operator of Crossroads Farms shares about her experience paying so much in utilities that her uplifting sanctuary risks shutting down.
“What about the attention to the single farm properties?” Jones asks of the council. “Because our water rates went up, in many cases, over 400 percent.”
Her emotional and tear-inducing testimony pulled at the heartstrings of fellow residents.
“I’m afraid that old Gilbert is disappearing, and you guys don’t necessarily care,” she adds, “I’m here to beg you that there’s so much value in our roots and in our heritage and the traditions Gilbert was founded on,” speaking on the founding of Gilbert by small, family-owned farms.
Several others chimed in during the public comment section as well. OpGov.ai reported the repeating themes of deep concern over the rising water rates, a general mistrust of the council and its decision-making processes, and the misrepresentation of information, including one comment from local resident Tiffany Silva, who merely asked the council for a real breakdown of current costs, rather than what newly obtained funds will support in the near future.
(Photo: Teri Tracy)
The council has set the date for Feb. 17th of the coming year.
Relief may not be in sight for all, but for some, a conversation around assistance for those impacted most is the only hope.
The meeting’s earlier presentation announced the possibility of change in the way tiered rates affect agricultural users such as small farms, and financial assistance programs for those struggling with their bill. While a $30 discount on their monthly bills isn’t nearly enough to help offset the cost for some residents, it’s a tank of gas or a can of formula for others.
(Photo: Teri Tracy/Town of Gilbert)
OpGov.ai will interview councilmember Chuck Bongiovanni next week about the future of utilities in Gilbert, including how the crisis will impact the community now and in later years, as well as details about the steps the town is taking to find relief as soon as possible.
To add to or correct any information provided in this report, please contact me at tracy.t@lead4earth.org.
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