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Gilbert hears progress update on third‑party water meter audit; final report due April 7
Summary
Consultants from Kimley Horn told the council the ongoing water meter audit covering 92,000 accounts has found no system‑wide failures so far; the team removed a representative sample of meters for off‑site calibration testing and will deliver final recommendations on April 7.
Paige Helfenstein, Kimley Horn’s public‑engagement lead, told the Town Council the firm was hired to audit Gilbert’s water ‘meter‑to‑cash’ process and to help restore public confidence in billing accuracy. “Every customer deserves to have their water usage accurately recorded, transmitted, and billed with full transparency and trust in the process,” Helfenstein said.
Tyler Kaye, Kimley Horn project manager, said the data audit covers all 92,000 accounts while the physical testing used statistically representative samples. “We used a computer‑based random number generator to select the meter sample size from all 92,000 meters in the system,” Kaye said, describing a sample that provides greater than a 95% confidence level; the team selected 450 meters for removal and off‑site calibration testing and reported 408 had been collected and shipped as of the briefing. He added that about 55,000 AMI radio transmitters are in the system and that radio testing used a separately selected sample.
The consultants described three concurrent audit streams: a data audit verifying meter reads, billing records and account relationships; an infrastructure audit with physical meter and radio tests; and an operations and business‑practices review focused on workflows for adjustments and meter work orders. Kaye said initial results show no system‑wide issues but that there are account outliers undergoing individual analysis.
Kimley Horn emphasized that off‑site meter testing and calibration are still in progress and that final conclusions will be withheld until the full report is presented to the council on April 7. The firm encouraged public engagement via a project website, hotline and listening sessions and said it has logged comment cards, hotline calls and emails and is following up on each inquiry.
The presentation was informational; no council action was required at the meeting. Town staff said they will provide the final report and recommendations for any operational or technical fixes at the April meeting.
