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Residents press Gilbert council on transparency, water bills and police accountability
Summary
During the town’s public-comment period residents raised concerns about large-scale spending, water-bill increases, perceived lack of fiscal transparency and alleged police inaction or cover-ups; one speaker called for Police Chief Solberg’s resignation and another demanded evidence for accusations made by council members.
A series of sharply worded public comments at the June 9 Gilbert Town Council meeting put transparency, water rates and police accountability at the center of public concern.
Tiffany Silva, a Gilbert resident, told the council the current agenda covers roughly $1.7 billion in projects and asked for clearer reporting on how existing revenues are spent and for defined oversight of a proposed $100 million CIP contingency. "A contingency of this size must have clearly defined limits and strong oversight," Silva said, and requested an independent third-party audit of the water treatment plant and related infrastructure cost drivers.
Barbara Colvin criticized recent council decisions and town staff’s handling of rate changes and rezoning, saying residents’ views are often treated as a formality rather than an influence on outcomes. "Your minds are made up before any meeting takes place," she said.
Daryl Grossen accused members of town leadership of launching false attacks against critics, disputed allegations he encouraged mass nonpayment of utilities and asked the council to produce evidence for claims directed at him. "For the official record, your allegations are categorically false," Grossen said and challenged the council to substantiate the accusations.
Carissa Arnold, who identified herself as a relative of an unsolved homicide victim, said Gilbert Police Department investigators have not adequately communicated with victims’ families and urged the immediate resignation of Police Chief Solberg, accusing the department of inaction and concealment in past investigations.
Council and staff responses during the meeting were procedural and limited: staff clarified the order and timing for public commenters, noted statutory limits on responding in the public-comment forum, and said certain matters would be referred to staff or placed on future agendas for formal consideration. The council did not take formal action on police leadership or the requested water-audit during the meeting, but members acknowledged residents’ concerns and staff committed to follow-up where appropriate.
