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Beacon reports 65% complete on water‑meter radio upgrades, warns of $250 surcharge for noncompliance
Summary
City staff updated the council on a meter‑radio replacement program (MXU units), said the project is roughly two‑thirds complete and that residents who do not schedule an upgrade appointment by April will face a $250 surcharge.
City staff updated the Beacon City Council on the city’s program to replace radio transmitters on residential water meters and urged residents to schedule appointments to avoid a $250 surcharge.
City Administrator Chris White said the program, which replaces MXU radio units that transmit meter reads, began in early 2024 and is about 65% complete. The upgrade will enable residents to view water‑use history, set leak alarms and receive near‑real‑time flow data after the system is fully operational. “Once we’re up and running, we’ll have the ability for everyone to log in and view their water usage history, their real time water usage, to set alarms in case there’s a leak,” White said.
Compliance and enforcement: White said the vendor and the city will send a second notice and that residents who do not call to schedule an appointment by April will be assessed a $250 surcharge on their bill. He said the surcharge is intended to prompt scheduling for properties that have not responded to earlier outreach; the city has identified some customers with very large bills after long intervals without actual meter reads. White provided the vendor’s scheduling information as given to the council: website veppometering.com (spelled out in the meeting as v‑e‑p‑o metering dot com) and phone number (877) 860‑8376.
Operational notes: White said the project required manual intervention for about 300 bills because the radio vendor and the city’s billing software vendor needed to be integrated; staff characterized that as a one‑time manual workload. He thanked water department staff and named Sue Tucker, Christine, Ed Balicki and Liz for their work. The city plans to send the second notice in English and Spanish.
Next steps and resident guidance: Residents who have not received a letter or who want to schedule early can call the vendor or use the vendor’s scheduling page. Staff reiterated that the city is not replacing the water meters themselves but replacing the radio transmitters (MXUs) that report meter usage.
