Soaring water bills in Buckeye have already drawn attention from the Arizona Attorney General’s Office and led to a petition to recall the mayor.
Last week, city officials acted internally and placed Water Resources Director Dave Nigh on paid administrative leave. Officials say the decision is a personnel issue and have declined further comment.
Nigh had been in charge of the largest service territory in Arizona, which is entirely dependent on groundwater. He also oversaw Buckeye’s acquisition of Global Water Resources, a private utility the city bought for $55 million.