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Frustration continues for Buckeye residents with abnormally high water bills

Posted at 7:13 PM, Dec 12, 2016
and last updated 2016-12-12 21:18:26-05

After months of Buckeye residents complaining about spikes in their water bills, city officials are pledging to work with customers on a case-by-case basis.

This comes after the city announced Water Resources Director Dave Nigh was placed on paid administrative leave. City leaders are not talking about the exact reasons for that move, which occurred December 8.

Water customers are so frustrated they're collecting petition signatures to recall the mayor.

"I told the mayor today I would fire everybody in that water department that has not been helpful to customers and just hasn't cared," resident Jeff Hancock said. "I mean they're supposed to be working for the community, not us working for them."

Residents have complained for months about water bills hundreds or even thousands of dollars more than normal. City officials say they are not sure why some people are getting astronomically high water bills. They are urging customers to call a hotline to report questionable bills at (623) 349-6900.

"For our residents, we're doing everything we can to get this resolved to get to the bottom of this and figure out what's going on," said Annie DeChance, a Buckeye city spokeswoman. "If there's an issue or a challenge that you're having we're going to work with you to get it figured out as quickly as we can."