Albany Utilities reports 88% AMI deployment; staff warns continued nonresponse may lead to disconnection

Albany Utilities reported to its utility board that it has installed advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) on roughly 78,720 of about 89,831 meters and that remaining exchanges — about 11,111 meters — face technical, access and customer-resistance barriers that could lead to service interruption for nonresponsive accounts.

Kendall Hodge, an Albany Utilities staff member leading deployment updates, told the board the program is about 88% complete overall. "So far, we've exchanged 78,720, and we have about a little over 11,000 remaining," Hodge said. He said the project total was revised from a previously stated 91,947 meters after scrubbing inactive and abandoned accounts.

The remaining work is split by commodity: Hodge gave counts of roughly 6,143 water meters (about 56% of the remaining population), 2,494 gas meters and 2,474 electric meters. He said a contractor identified as H2O will handle about 3,700 of the remaining water replacements, with Albany Utilities staff performing the larger residential and commercial meter swaps. "Vermex/Burmex has completed pretty much all of the water meter exchanges that we've given them," Hodge said, adding that the contractor is near "substantial completion" of its contracted work.

Why it matters: AMI meters provide remote reads and voltage and flow data that can reduce estimated bills and detect continuous flow leaks. Hodge described a built-in safety feature: when a hazardous thermal condition is detected in a meter cabinet, the AMI meter can disconnect to prevent fire risk. He stressed that meter cabinets (the boxes) are the homeowner's property and that internal wiring or breaker problems on a customer's side are the customer's responsibility.

Repairs, reimbursements and safety: Staff said they have identified 232 meter locations requiring meter-box repairs; about 210 customers have submitted invoices for work. The board previously authorized a reimbursement cap to offset customers' meter-cabinet repair costs; Hodge reported approximately $143,311 in reimbursements to date. "We've actually provided up to $800 of meter box repair costs," he said, describing the process for staff review and approval of invoices.

Access and nonresponse: Hodge said the utility has sent roughly 1,300 certified letters in batches to properties where crews could not gain access after multiple attempts. "Out of 768 certified letters that we received, 546 customers, or 71%, have been positively responsive," he reported, saying many appointments are scheduled through May. He said some customers remain unresponsive or require additional repairs; a portion of those who do not respond within the stated window are eligible for disconnection. "There is no opt out option," Hodge said. "At the end of deployment, all the utility customers will have an AMI meter."

Staff cautioned that noncooperation extends deployment, increases project costs and delays the operational benefits of AMI, including eliminating estimated reads and enabling customer notifications for continuous flow (likely leaks). Angela Sowell and Mary Louise McCall were identified as Albany Utilities staff who review repair invoices before reimbursements are issued.

Budget and contractor support: Hodge presented project budget figures showing a budget of about $22.6 million and an expected spend of about $23.3 million, a projected overrun of roughly $706,000 tied to unanticipated repair and contractor needs. He said retaining contractor support to complete about 1,300 remaining gas meter exchanges could cost an estimated $50,000–$75,000 because the contractor would shift from per-unit pricing to hourly staffing for a smaller remaining workload. In response, City Manager Bruce Jacobs told the board the commission amended the project budget in January by about $955,000 and that, with that adjustment, the project was roughly $250,000 under the amended budget.

Customer tools and outreach: Staff described planned and existing customer tools that AMI enables: a customer portal with hourly/daily usage detail, continuous-flow alerts, and a planned mobile app and notification options (text, email, phone). "When the system indicates there is a continuous flow, the notifications will be sent out to customers whether it's via phone, text or email," an Albany Utilities staff member said. Staff and board members said public town-hall meetings are scheduled (the 19th and 20th, per staff) to answer resident questions and correct misconceptions.

Discussion and next steps: Board members asked for due-process protections before service interruption for long-term nonresponsive accounts and urged continued emphasis on customer outreach, landlord engagement for rental properties and careful documentation of contractor activity. Staff said they will make additional contact attempts and escalate to a list of candidates for disconnection only after further outreach and legal review. The board approved routine minutes at the start of the meeting (see "Actions" below).

Ending: Staff emphasized that the final 12% of exchanges include the most difficult and costly cases — hard-to-access properties, safety-related meter-box repairs and customer refusals — and said completing deployment will reduce operational inefficiencies and billing disputes once the older AMR meters are retired. Town halls and portal/app development were presented as measures to increase transparency and customer engagement.