Gilbert: Nearly $500,000 Water Audit Finds 381 Residents Overbilled, But No Systemwide Failures

A half-million-dollar audit answers Gilbert's water billing fears

Gilbert residents who spent months complaining about inflated water bills finally have answers. An independent audit costing nearly $500,000 found no systemwide failures in the town's water metering infrastructure. But it did identify 381 residential accounts that were potentially overbilled.

The 347-page report was released by Kimley-Horn, the engineering firm the Town of Gilbert retained to review its utility billing operations. The audit examined more than 93,000 accounts and six years of billing data.

What the audit found

According to the Town of Gilbert's press release published June 23, 2026, the key findings include:

• 99.5% of water use transactions were billed correctly
• 99% of meter radios are working properly
• Fewer than 3% of accounts showed any irregularities
• Approximately 381 residential accounts were identified as potentially overbilled
• Approximately 941 residential accounts were identified as potentially underbilled
• No non-residential accounts were identified as overbilled

The audit also identified opportunities to strengthen operational procedures, data management practices, and internal processes, according to the Town's release.

Who pays back the overbilled residents?

The Town of Gilbert said impacted customers will be contacted directly. Residents who do not hear from the town do not need to take any action, according to the official statement.

"The Town of Gilbert thanks residents and business owners for their patience and engagement throughout the independent review of the Town's utility billing and Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) systems," the Town said in its press release.

Utility disconnections were paused during the audit. The Town said disconnections will resume later this year with advance notice to customers.

Why the audit happened

The review was initiated in response to concerns raised by residents, according to the Town of Gilbert. Months of complaints led to packed Town Council meetings before officials decided to hire Kimley-Horn for an independent assessment.

The Gilbert Sun News reported that the audit "costing nearly half a million dollars" was conducted after months of resident complaints and packed council sessions. The paper noted the audit concluded that the town's water meters, radio transmission system, and billing software showed no widespread problems.

ABC15 reported that the audit found "no evidence of systemwide water meter failures in Gilbert, but it did identify some residential customers who were overbilled."

What comes next

Each of the 381 potentially overbilled accounts will be reviewed individually by the Town. Customers in those accounts should expect to hear from Gilbert officials directly regarding refunds or bill adjustments.

The Town has not provided a timeline for when the individual reviews will be completed or how much total money may be refunded to overbilled residents.