Many Gilbert residents frustrated and annoyed with new, high water bills

GILBERT, AZ (AZFamily) — As some homeowners in Gilbert are seeing their water bills spike hundreds, even thousands of dollars, town officials say new water meters may be giving higher readings and they’ve switched to a new billing system, which is also causing its own set of problems.

Residents say they were never told about the changes, and it has caused a lot of confusion, anger and financial problems.

Jordan Richmond said, like everyone, she has to use water. However, she does her best to keep her water usage to a minimum.

So, when she got her water bill recently from the town of Gilbert, she was shocked when it said $783. “I was very concerned,” Richmond said.

Richmond said her monthly water bill is usually around a hundred bucks. But Richmond isn’t alone. Numerous Gilbert residents have complained to On Your Side about the spike in their water bills.

“Whether you’re a single mom or whether you have a mansion or whatever, the impact is significant,” Richmond said.

So, what’s causing the jump in Gilbert’s water? On Your Side has discovered that over the summer, the town of Gilbert launched a new portal system, complete with brand new account numbers where people like Richmond could pay their water bill.

But because Richmond is on autopay, she never knew about the new portal or her new account number. She just kept paying her water bill automatically.

“Were you ever warned that they were changing the way they were taking payments from people?” On Your Side’s Gary Harper asked.

“No, today is the first day I was able to log into the new portal and see everything,” Richmond said.

Because Richmond was paying through the old portal, the town of Gilbert wasn’t getting her payment or anyone else’s who paid using the old portal.

As a result, three to four months’ worth of unpaid water bills have now ballooned into one big bill and Gilbert wants its money. They’re even sending out letters to residents like Richmond who fell behind due to no fault of their own.

“At this time, the account will be in danger of disconnect due to non-payment,” Richmond said as she read from the letter. “I’m just trying to figure it out (how to pay) because we owe $780 as of today. It’s either get your water shut off or pay $780, and then that’s going to sacrifice quite a big chunk from other areas.”

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