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Consultant outlines "metering as a service" option for city water meter replacement; 13,000 meters cited
Summary
Sustainability Partners presented an infrastructure‑as‑a‑service model to replace Alamogordo’s aging water meters with zero upfront cost and a monthly usage fee tied to performance; company estimates a roughly 12‑month deployment is feasible for about 13,000 meters.
Sustainability Partners representatives on Aug. 28 described an "infrastructure as a service" model that would fund, install and maintain new water meters for the city with no upfront cost to the municipality.
Ryan Mass, state lead for Sustainability Partners in New Mexico, said the firm converts capital costs into a monthly usage fee aligned to the service the asset provides. “It’s really 0 upfront cost,” Mass said. Under the firm’s proposal, the company would finance design, procurement, installation, ongoing maintenance and eventual end‑of‑life replacement for an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) system and integrate leak‑detection features.
Mass described metering as the “brain and your cash register for your entire system,” saying accurate metering improves revenue collection and helps prioritize repairs. He said Alamogordo’s meter count is “around 13,013-ish” and estimated a “12‑month construction schedule would be very reasonable” to replace the meters if the city and contractor scale installations accordingly.
Sustainability Partners said it takes responsibility for construction risk and for ongoing maintenance; the city would operate the system. Mass said the company’s model is vendor‑agnostic and “cost‑plus” (no hidden markup). He cited a Roosevelt County case where a similar project, the company said, lowered water‑purchasing needs by up to 30% year‑on‑year through improved metering and leak identification.
Tara, a Sustainability Partners representative who focused on workforce engagement, said the firm plans to use local electricians, plumbers and tradespeople wherever possible and described opportunities to incorporate local contractors for network communications and electrical work related to meter installs.
Commissioners asked about non‑meter projects the firm handles (including hybrid and electric public‑safety vehicles), timeline and whether the company’s agreements show as debt on municipal balance sheets. Mass said the company structures arrangements to be operating‑expense style and “per accounting standards, we're actually considered a non‑debt structure,” meaning the model is designed to avoid adding to debt capacity constraints.
No formal procurement or contract was authorized at the meeting. City staff said the meter replacement concept was discussed previously in the city’s water‑rate study and will be considered among funding options as part of the larger infrastructure plan.
Why it matters: Accurate meters and AMI systems can materially improve billing accuracy and leak detection; the no‑upfront‑cost service model would shift capital needs off the city’s immediate budget but obligates the city to a long‑term usage fee tied to system performance.
What’s next: City staff will continue evaluating financing routes and vendor options for the water meter replacement program. Sustainability Partners provided leave‑behind material and offered to answer further questions through city staff.
