Council reviews meter‑replacement options and public‑works facility upgrades; staff proposes hiring to save contractor costs

Kirksville utilities and public works staff told the City Council they are weighing two ways to replace the city's aging automated water meters: hire staff to perform installations in‑house or pay an outside contractor to do the work.

The replacement effort is large: staff said the city has roughly 7,000–8,000 residential meters located inside structures. A vendor estimate that included installation ran roughly $1.1 million to $1.2 million. Utilities and public‑works staff told the council an internal option — hiring about six entry‑level utility maintenance workers organized into three two‑person crews for the meter installation program — could cost about $500,000 in first‑year personnel and associated equipment. The staff option would also create a local recruitment and training pipeline and could preserve institutional control over who enters homes to do meter work.

“About a million or 1.1 to 1.2. We did get estimates from, from 2 or 3 vendors of meters, asked them to include installation costs in there,” utilities staff said when presenting contractor quotes. He and operations staff noted logistical complexity: nearly all meters sit inside houses so each installation requires appointments, coordination with customer service and a plan for documenting old and new meter ID numbers and GPS locations.

Why it matters: the city must replace meters as batteries and electronics age; vendors recommended lead times of several months for meter deliveries. Staff emphasized the inventory and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency / state service‑line inventory deadlines will also require coordinated data collection.

Public‑works capital and operations: council members also reviewed a multi‑year facilities plan the public‑works director and maintenance staff developed. The plan proposes phased changes at the public‑works yard to improve storage, put more stock inside, add through‑garage capability to existing vehicle bays, and ultimately colocate some engineering staff with operations. Staff said the improvements would reduce weather‑damage to pipe and fittings (current cast‑iron materials and valves are stored outside) and create indoor storage for large equipment such as a milling machine if the city chooses to buy one.

Milling machine: the street superintendent recommended purchasing an asphalt milling machine rather than renting. Staff said annual rentals recently ranged roughly $90,000; owning a machine would add maintenance and capital costs but could yield long‑term savings and let crews use the city asphalt plant more efficiently. Council members asked staff to return with refined cost comparisons and a recommended procurement schedule.

What the council asked staff to do: refine the in‑house hiring and timeline for meter installation, produce a detailed comparison of contractor versus in‑house costs (including training, vehicles and scheduling), and bring a more detailed capital plan for the public‑works site and milling machine costs to the next budget work cycle.