GILBERT, Ariz. — The Town of Gilbert will conduct an audit of its water meter reading systems following weeks of frustration from residents who say their monthly bills have skyrocketed without explanation.

At a contentious town council meeting this week, homeowners demanded answers after seeing bills that, in some cases, jumped hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

One resident, Nancy Stipp, said her water usage was reported to have spiked more than 1,000 percent, with her October bill totaling over $2,600. Town officials later confirmed her system—known as Advanced Metering Infrastructure—malfunctioned.

Concerns about the technology

More than half of Gilbert’s 90,000 utility customers now have AMI devices installed on their homes. The systems are designed to automatically record and

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