Gilbert staff to select meter-audit vendor amid resident claims of erroneous water bills

Town officials told the Gilbert Town Council on Oct. 28 that they will select a vendor this week to perform a comprehensive audit of the town's water meters and billing system after weeks of resident complaints about unexpectedly high bills.

Acting town manager Leah Reinheimer said the town has "selected a vendor this week after an interview process to begin conducting that audit," and that staff will provide "consistent report outs on the progress of the audit." She also announced that the town will hold listening sessions for residents, including a session scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 15, where customers can meet staff and council members to review account data and troubleshooting steps.

The audit announcement came as multiple residents described billing problems they said left households unable to pay. "To continue billing the residence of Gilbert under these circumstances would be improper and possibly illegal," said Bill Spence, a Gilbert resident who cited a legal standard that municipal rates must be "just and reasonable." Amy Bejarano, another resident, presented detailed meter totals she said showed roughly "approximately 19,000 gallons per month over the last 30 months" of actual use, but bills that reflected far higher amounts; she said the town had "top loaded it starting in January 2025." Several speakers said they were unable to view historic bills after the town changed its online portal in June.

Council also temporarily changed the meeting rules to allow extended public comment at the start of the session. The motion to suspend rules and allow a one-hour extension for communications from citizens passed unanimously, 7-0.

What the town said: Reinheimer said the town is augmenting customer service and water conservation teams and that staff have increased field audit capacity in recent weeks. "Once we have the interviews completed, we'll be able to provide a more thorough timeline, and we will be providing consistent report outs on the progress of the audit," she said.

What residents want: Speakers asked the council to roll back recent rate increases or restore 2023 rates until the audit and corrective actions are complete, to provide case-by-case billing reviews, and to make portal data fully accessible. Several residents said they feared the bills could force families on fixed incomes to move.

Next steps: Staff will complete vendor selection for the meter audit, conduct the audit, and provide scheduled progress reports. The town has announced listening sessions to allow residents to review account details with staff and council members.

Context: Reinheimer told the council that roughly 75% of Gilbert Fire and Rescue calls are medical responses, and she noted recent departmental accomplishments in the same report that outlined the audit plans. The utility audits, vendor selection, and listening sessions will be funded from utility resources as part of ongoing water-resiliency and customer-service work.