Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Utilities Water topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
City announces three-week amnesty for missed water meter upgrades, reverses $250 fines for appointments made
Summary
City Administrator Chris White announced a three-week amnesty for residents who have not had new water meter transmitters installed; charges of $250 on January–March bills will be reversed if residents call the vendor and schedule an appointment before April 21.
Beacon City Administrator Chris White announced a three-week amnesty for residents who did not sign up for the city’s water meter transmitter replacement, saying the $250 charge on some January–March water bills will be reversed if residents schedule the upgrade before April 21.
Why it matters: The city is completing an upgrade to smart water meters intended to give residents near-real-time usage data and leak alerts; the amnesty aims to avoid billing penalties while the vendor completes appointments.
White told the council that about 85% of customers have responded to the upgrade notices and that “several hundred people” had not. He directed residents to call the contractor, Vepo, at (877) 860-8376 to schedule an appointment, and said the appointment may be scheduled for late May or June. “All you need to do is make an appointment,” White said. He warned that “after April 21, that charge will stay.”
The city did not announce any additional consumer-education steps or an extension beyond April 21. White said the upgrade will let residents monitor usage in closer to real time and receive leak notifications — features the administration described as particularly useful for households billed quarterly.
Ending: The city mailed the $250 charge to accounts that had not scheduled an installation; residents who believe they were billed in error were instructed to call Vepo to make an appointment and have the fee reversed before the April 21 deadline.
