City staff updated the committee on water-conservation programs, smart-meter testing and drought contingency planning. Alex, a city staff member, said the city has approved 117 toilet replacements and 14 irrigation-checkup rebates; the irrigation rebate will increase from $50 to $75 in the next fiscal year beginning in October to encourage participation.

On smart meters, staff said the utility is running internal billing tests to resolve errors discovered since July and that the customer portal originally planned for October will be delayed until billing is stable. "They've been doing internal tests on those since July," Alex said, adding staff are trying to make sure customers are neither overcharged nor undercharged before the portal launches.

Committee members discussed drought contingency and whether the city has enforceable local outdoor watering restrictions; staff said the city has an adopted drought contingency plan that provides the authority to impose restrictions at different drought levels, and that proactive measures include meter replacements, water-main repairs and the city's rebate and education programs. Committee members raised questions about regional supplier responsibilities; staff noted the city receives wholesale water from a larger utility and that regional rate increases will affect local bills.

Members also discussed how the smart-meter portal could help customers detect leaks via short-interval usage data and automatic alerts. Staff said initial rollout will focus on stabilizing billing, then providing the customer portal and associated notifications later this year.

Ending: Staff said meters, billing fixes and outreach will continue and that the drought contingency plan gives the city tools to take restrictions if conditions require it; no formal action was taken.