The water meter audit

---

The brief given by Kimley Horn on 3/3/26, led councilmembers, some media, and others to believe that no issues were found. The key words from the Council presentation were there are “no systemwide issues. There are outliers…”  

It was later clarified that this statement DID NOT mean that they haven't found any issues. 

In fact, many issues being found include:

• AMI Configuration Issues
• Meter Calibration Issues
• Meter Communication Issues
• Non-existant policies/procedures

I HAVE MULTIPLE INDEPENDENT SOURCES THAT CONFIRM THAT THERE ARE DOCUMENTS THAT THE TOWN HAS THAT MAY SHOW THE METER CONFIGURATION ISSUES. THE TOWN SEEMS RELUCTANT TO PROVIDE THESE DOCUMENTS TO THE PUBLIC, HOWEVER, KIMLEY HORN HAS OBTAINED THE DOCUMENTS.

AMI Configuration issues seem to be one of the dominant problems that has been identified. There is a multiplier setting that can be set to 0.1 times, 1 times, and 10 times. The audit is finding several meters that have not been configured properly. Prior to the audit, there were an undetermined number of meters that were  corrected, most had been set to 10 times multiplier. During the audit, there are still numerous meters that were improperly configured but they are trending to be reading low. 

BOTTOM LINE: AMI Configuration is a major issue affecting Gilbert Water Customers. 

Initially, it was thought that this wasn't a major issue. However, non-Mueller meters (SENSES) that measure water mechanically (positive displacement) instead of solid-state, are showing some early signs of inaccuracy. It is believed that most of this is due to wear of the meter components. There have been accuracy results that "are all over the place" and may read high or low. Testing is still on ongoing and Mueller meter testing is still in-progress.

Several issues found with meters NOT communicating properly to the AMI. It doesn't appear this this is a major factor in high water bills. Issues are often battery or AMI Node connectivity issues.

This is probably the biggest issue that is not being discussed at all. The Town of Gilbert has very few, if any, formal policies and procedures for doing most tasks. There doesn't appear to be any procedures for configuring and installing meters or billing adjustments. Meters appear to have been installed WITHOUT A PROCEDURE since 2020. Billing adjustment policies appear to be verbal only... nothing is in writing.

The Town of GIlbert has beed rather aggressive in collecting back pay for meters that were reading low. I heard that it was 80% of a 12 month average water use. This is a verbal policy - nothing written.

To date, I am not aware of any utility customer that was issued a refund due to improper AMI multiplier settings!!

On 2/25/2026, I received a knock on my door and was informed that I was one of 500 Gilbert water customers randomly selected to participate in the Water Meter Audit being conducted by Kimley-Horn under contract with the Town of Gilbert. As one of the most outspoken residents in Gilbert regarding water-related issues, the probability of me being selected and home at the time of the Audit, was extremely low—less than 1%. At the time of this posting, no one in the Town of Gilbert knows that I was selected, nor do they know what I have discovered.

Two individuals conducted the audit, which consisted of removing my existing meter, preparing it for shipping, and replacing it with a brand-new MUELLER meter that had been calibrated by the vendor. One worker was a Town of Gilbert Water Technician, and the other was an Audit Supervisor from AMKA Services, contracted directly by Kimley-Horn. Both were very professional and knowledgeable, and they allowed me to observe the entire process.

I asked many questions and documented everything with photos and video. These workers did not provide me with any “secret” or “scandalous” information. They were simply hardworking individuals on the front lines, doing a job surrounded by public frustration and emotion. They allowed me to observe the specific details of the water meter replacement and Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) configuration. What I observed enabled me to continue my research into the water meter issues.

On 3/3/2026, I spoke directly with MUELLER and confirmed several of my findings.  I concluded that there are issues affecting water meters installed throughout the Town of Gilbert. 

Gilbert Sun News reports that approximately 55,000 of over 90,000 water meters are connected to the Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI).

I am aware of information showing meter configuration errors that led to both under-billing and over-billing. Combined with ridiculously high utility rates, these metering issues may have contributed to inaccurate billing and imposed significant financial hardship on Gilbert residents. 

I have been made aware of Gilbert correcting issues resulting in under-billing and making billing adjustments to collect the unpaid amount. However, I am not aware that any customers affected by over-billing have been formally notified or reimbursed by the Town of Gilbert.

I believe that the Town of Gilbert has been fraudulently billing water customers for several months, and possibly several years. I am not alleging that this activity was a conspiracy, a cover-up, or intentional.

I am calling for a full investigation into these findings and for complete public disclosure of all documentation identifying these issues.