Gilbert Arizona Residents Face Soaring Water Bills After Rate Hikes New Meter Implementation

Hundreds of Gilbert residents say their water bills have suddenly spiked — in many cases by hundreds or even thousands of dollars — prompting a flood of complaints to town officials and local news outlets. Town leaders, including Public Works Director Jessica Marlow and Water Resources and Conservation Coordinator Jeremiah Churchill, point to a three‑phase rate increase (with a 25% April rise and another 25% scheduled next year) and a June 30 switch to a new billing portal that required customers to re‑enroll (autopay settings did not transfer), leaving many with multiple months rolled into a single large balance; only about 60,000 of roughly 90,000 customers had registered in the new system. Officials and technicians also say some newly installed meters appear to be giving higher readings or were miscalibrated (the town acknowledged at least one meter with a calibration error), and the town is investigating while maintaining most bills are accurate. The billing transition has caused confusion and hardship — residents report paying on time yet receiving massive bills (e.g., jumps from ~$260 to >$2,600), and the town has delayed shutoffs (original Oct. 1 cutoff moved to November) while working to reach unregistered customers. Gilbert held internal meetings to address the situation, is urging customers to register in the new portal, and says it is reviewing meter and billing data as local media continue to seek on‑camera answers and push for resolutions.