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City OKs Purchase of New Water Meters after State Accuracy Concerns; 300-Unit Rollout Planned
Summary
Commissioners approved procurement of new water meters for the city to standardize readings and comply with state reporting; staff recommended phased replacement beginning with 300 units and a not-to-exceed purchase of $275,000.
Liberal City commissioners voted to approve a citywide plan to replace aging water meters after staff said state reporting revealed inconsistent meter readings.
City staff told the commission the current meters report in varying units (some in hundreds of gallons, others in thousands), which led to inaccurate statewide reporting and a state directive to correct sealing and reading issues. A staff presentation recommended purchasing up to 300 new meters initially, with funds not to exceed $275,000 from account 530-494244029.
Staff said the meters are old and many were no longer sealed, which caused the state to raise the issue. “We just decided to put all the meters where they're uniformly read,” a staff member said, adding the city has almost 8,000 meters in the distribution system and plans a phased replacement — either 300 units at a time or a faster cadence if field crews can install more.
Commissioners discussed pacing the rollout and battery supply for smart meters. “If we can do 600 this year… buy them every six months,” one commissioner suggested; staff said the preferred immediate purchase would be 300 meters and the city will evaluate whether crews can install more. The commission voted 5-0 to approve the recommendation.
City staff said the phased approach balances budget constraints and operational capacity; they noted a full fleet replacement would take many years at current replacement rates if purchases remain small relative to the roughly 8,000 installed meters.
