During the recent Glendale City Council meeting, a resident voiced significant concerns regarding the Glendale Water and Power (GWP) utility billing practices, highlighting issues that have affected numerous households in the community. The resident, who has been trying to address these concerns for over 20 months, revealed that their smart meter had been malfunctioning, leading to inaccurate billing estimates and an overcharge of approximately $3,000.

The resident explained that after consulting with a solar company, they discovered that their energy consumption had remained constant month over month, prompting further investigation into their GWP bills. It was found that GWP had been estimating their usage due to a broken meter, which had not been replaced for an extended period. The resident received a reimbursement check after GWP replaced the meter and recalculated their energy consumption.

This issue appears to be widespread, with the resident stating that there are over 100,000 properties with malfunctioning meters, leading to similar billing inaccuracies. They expressed frustration over the lack of communication from the city regarding these faulty meters and questioned why the city council and city manager had not been informed about the situation.

The resident urged fellow community members to check their meters for potential issues, emphasizing the need for transparency and accountability from GWP. This situation raises important questions about utility management and customer service, as many residents may be unaware of similar problems affecting their billing.

As the city council continues to address community concerns, this incident underscores the importance of effective communication and timely action in resolving utility issues that directly impact residents' finances and trust in local government services.