English Bulldog Puppies for Sale in Gilbert, AZ

GILBERT, AZ (AZFamily) — A Valley flour mill is buttering up bread lovers and home bakers alike with its first-ever BreadFest this weekend. It’s an event that might just be worth toasting to.

The Hayden Flour Mills will host its inaugural BreadFest at Don Guerra’s Barrio Bagel and Slice, located at 689 N. Arizona Avenue in Gilbert, on Sunday from 10 a.m. through 1 p.m.

Breadfest will offer the chance for attendees to shop at vendors, snack on samples, view butter sculptures, enter your sourdough in a contest, and play games like play bagel ring toss.

The festival’s main purpose is to connect the bread-loving community and local bakers and “give them a true small-town festival,” according to Emma Zimmerman, co-owner and co-founder of Hayden Flour Mills, with her father, Jeff.

“We are harvesters, we are millers, and we are bakers at heart,” Zimmerman said. “What better way to pay homage to the art of the ancient grain than a festival that features bread?”

Got some extra dough and time this weekend? BreadFest is set to include several local vendors serving up delicious bread-based concoctions, such as Barrio Bread and Sonoran Pasta Co., as well as a sourdough bread contest featuring entries from local home and cottage bakers, judged by professional bread artisans from around the state.

In addition, guests can learn about Hayden Flour Mills’ passion and purpose, peruse vendors, snack on samples, enjoy live music, view butter sculptures, purchase a variety of bread-related items, and play fun, wholesome games with the family, such as bagel ring toss.

The Zimmermans are currently seeking vendors and home bakers for BreadFest. Those interested can visit haydenflourmills.com/pages/bread-fest for more information on how to participate.

Doors open at 9:45 a.m. BreadFest admission begins at $7 for general admission and $40 for VIP admission, which includes a limited edition BreadFest t-shirt. Admission is free for children. Tickets are limited; click or tap here to purchase.

To learn more about Hayden Flour Mills and its return to glory through a family’s labor of love, go to haydenflourmills.com.

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GILBERT, AZ — Gilbert residents packed town council chambers on Tuesday for the second time this month, demanding answers to rising water bills.

Frustrated residents say their bills have tripled in the past few years.

“People are hurting,” said Gilbert resident Bill Spence.

He asked town leaders to repeal water rates back to 2023 levels before a series of sharp increases went into effect. He suggested the rates that they are currently being charged are not “just and reasonable” as required by the Arizona Constitution.

“It’s tearing the community apart,” he said.

Sara Barker, a resident since 1991, described being “blindsided” when she recently opened a bill for $700.

“There’s no way I used that much water,” she said.

Town leaders have said several factors are driving up bills: phased-in increases over the last two years, new water meters and a new billing system that went into effect June 30.

Town officials announced Tuesday that an audit of those water meters could start as early as next week. They are also planning a series of listening sessions, the first scheduled from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday, November 10, at Gilbert Town Hall.

A water rate increase of 50% in April 2024 was followed by another 25% increase in April of this year. This was coupled with a $30 monthly increase in sewer rates the same month this year.

And the pain is not over. Another 25% increase in water rates is planned for April 2026.

Jessica Marlow, the town’s public works director, said at a meeting earlier this month that the increases are vital to ensuring the town’s future water supply, including upgrades to the North Water Treatment Plant and nine new wells.

Marlow said the town is also changing out water meters as they age. She said the new meters are more sensitive. Small leaks that went undetected in the old system may show up as higher usage with the new meters. She announced at a town council meeting earlier this month that the town is ordering an independent audit of the meters.

“If there’s a meter error, we will adjust it,” she said.

On June 30, the town also switched to a new billing system that doesn't automatically enroll residents into automatic billing. Marlow said there are unpaid balances that are carrying over as a result.

She said the town is planning to hire temporary workers to reduce wait times for customer-service calls. She urged residents to call if they have questions about their bills.

Email ABC15 Investigator Anne Ryman at anne.ryman@abc15.com, call her at 602-685-6345, or connect on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Some Gilbert residents are experiencing serious sticker shock, as they say their rates have multiplied to hundreds or sometimes thousands of dollars more than what they'd usually pay in just a matter of months.

GILBERT, AZ — Some Gilbert residents are experiencing serious sticker shock, as they say their rates have multiplied to hundreds or sometimes thousands of dollars more than what they'd usually pay in just a matter of months.

The frustration boiled over at Tuesday's town council meeting, when residents flooded the packed chambers for a meeting that lasted over four hours.

The Town of Gilbert says several factors are driving up costs, including increased rates, tiered billing, water leaks, and a transition to a new billing portal. Some residents believe there has also been possible mismanagement of funds.

The town has ordered an independent audit to review the meters. Until it's complete, there will be no late fees and no service disconnections. But residents want more than audits as they also demand answers and relief.

"Why are people who are trying to produce food or have livestock on their properties getting beat up as badly as we are?" asked resident Darrell Grossen, who has more than 100 fruit trees on his property.

"We are in Arizona. We are in the desert. But if, you know, my ask is that I only be charged for what I'm actually using," explained Amy Bejarano, also a Gilbert resident. "And that's what the other residents, that's where all of us are at."

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GILBERT, AZ (AZFamily) — Amid public outcry, the town of Gilbert is taking a closer look at its water meters.

During a Town Council Meeting on Tuesday, Gilbert officials said they’re hiring a third-party contractor to conduct an audit to verify the accuracy of the meters. They added that the results will be made public and the move is to ensure transparency.

The town will also be hosting listening sessions with officials within the next month or two so people can describe their problems with the water bills. No dates have been set yet.

This all comes after some Gilbert homeowners noticed their bills getting too high in July and then more said they’ve seen their water bills suddenly surge by up to 1,000% late last month.

Gilbert water officials said it was because of a water rate increase approved by the Gilbert Town Council. Water bills increased by 75% from 2024 to April 2025. Another 25% increase is scheduled for next year, doubling bills over the three-year plan.

On June 30, the town changed its billing system, requiring all Gilbert water customers to enroll in a new portal. But if somebody had autopay set up and didn’t use the new portal, the payments wouldn’t transfer over.

Officials said some customers believed money was being withdrawn from their accounts, but it wasn’t.

However, some Gilbert homeowners said they used the same amount of water, cutting back even, and yet their bills showed their usage jumping tens of thousands of gallons per month.

Some have pointed to the faulty water meters, which is why a third-party audit is being done.

One of the reasons the Gilbert Town Council approved such a high water rate increase was to overhaul its water treatment facility. The project recently hit its halfway point to being completed.

Once completed, the upgraded North Water Treatment Plant will provide water to 250,000 residents.

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GILBERT, AZ (AZFamily) — The Town of Gilbert has reached the halfway point in the overhaul of its water treatment facility.

It’s a nearly $700 million project made possible by the recent water rate increases in Gilbert. Rates went up 50% last year, another 25% this year, and there’s another 25% increase coming next year.

Arizona’s Family has heard from hundreds of residents wanting to know why their bills have spiked. Depending on the situation, it may be a combination of factors, including the rate increase, issues with the new billing system, and problems with some of the town’s new water meters.

While Gilbert’s mayor declined to answer our questions today, Councilman Kenny Buckland told Arizona’s Family he understands residents’ frustration.

“Yeah, I totally understand,” Buckland said. “People are hurting because this is not the only thing that went up. Groceries went up, right? Inflation is killing all of us. Me too. I totally understand, and I empathize with that. There are methods of relief. We check water rates every two years. If we determine that we over-budgeted, then we’re gonna come back and we’re gonna lower those rates, right?”

Upon completion, the upgraded Gilbert Water Treatment Plant will provide water to 250,000 residents. But tonight, many of those people are worried about how they will pay their increased water bills.

Regardless, these bills are putting immense strain on residents. Some bills are increasing by hundreds of dollars, and next year, another 25% rate increase is scheduled to take effect.

Just trying to get by has become a daily mantra for Gilbert resident Ross Chambers.

“I mean, it’s, I’m doing my best to make ends meet,” Chambers said. “Working extra, extra hours just to, you know, keep our heads above water.”

But just when you think you’re treading water, you feel yourself sinking. Standing next to his water meter at his Gilbert home, Chambers says he’s flooded by confusion.

“So we’re hitting $180, $190 a month right now for our, just for our water bill,” Chambers said.

Chambers is like hundreds of others — his bill is doubling. He’s wondering if he’ll be able to catch his breath.

“It’s really tough for all of us,” Chambers said.

On Tuesday morning, Arizona’s Family took residents’ fears to the Town of Gilbert. Mayor Scott Anderson immediately denied an interview, but Councilman Buckland said there are options.

“We do have assistance available where if someone is struggling we have resources to help pay those bills,” Buckland said.

Arizona’s Family reached out to the town about that assistance. Due to the financial strain of the rate increase, some people are eligible to receive a $30 monthly discount. You can apply here.

For Chambers and others, though, he says more needs to be done.

“I can’t imagine, you know, people in even worse situations than mine trying to make ends meet and provide for their families,” Chambers said.

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