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Residents press council on transparency, audits and police staffing during public comment
Summary
During public comment residents urged the council to delay rate increases pending independent audits, asked for clearer accounting of existing utility spending, and raised separate allegations about police staffing and alleged record deletions, requesting outside investigations and attorney general review.
Public comment at the Dec. 16 Gilbert Town Council meeting focused heavily on utility transparency and the proposed rate changes, but also included serious allegations related to police staffing and local records management.
Several residents asked the council to slow or phase any increases and to provide a detailed, independent breakdown of how existing utility revenue is spent. Tiffany Silva asked the council to authorize an independent outside audit of the water system and the North Water Treatment Plant budget, citing increases in the plant’s cost estimates. "I don't know how the cost got out of control... I'm asking the council for an independent audit of the entire water situation... not a government audit, but an independent outside auditor," Silva said.
Speakers representing long‑time farming and heritage properties warned that tiered residential rates could price farms and legacy residents out of the community. "My farm isn't fancy, but... I hope it still can be because without a solution for our heritage properties... I fear that we're at risk of being priced out of existence," one speaker said.
Other public commenters raised allegations about police operations and records. Carissa Arnold told the council she had formally notified the council that public records were being deleted in violation of Arizona law and said she had filed a police report alleging criminal violations by the town clerk and others; she requested an immediate referral to outside law enforcement and the attorney general's office. Bill Spence and Dave Rosenfeld raised separate concerns about police staffing and investigation capacity and said they had filed or intended to file formal complaints.
Council members did not take investigative action during the meeting; some council members offered to discuss specific concerns with individuals after the session. Staff reiterated that the town had held three public listening sessions and said the record of those sessions had been reviewed in developing the communications plan for the rate process.
The transcript records a mix of policy inquiries, requests for independent audits, and allegations that may require administrative or legal follow up; the claims remain unresolved in the meeting record.
