Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Water Sewer topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Water‑meter replacement begins; city staff say readings, not meters, caused billing discrepancies
Summary
City staff said a water‑meter replacement program is about to begin and that many resident billing complaints stem from transmitter failures and battery issues in the meter‑reading system rather than from the meters themselves.
Commissioner Mike Collins and staff described the city’s ongoing water‑meter replacement program and answered councilors’ questions about water and sewer capital funding.
Collins said the water‑meter changeout program is “well underway”: the city has procured meters and will begin installations in the coming month, with work to create a fixed radio network of receivers so meter readings can be captured without a drive‑by van. “We are going to…put in our network so that we can read the meters,” Collins said.
Collins addressed resident calls about overcharges: he said meters typically fail slowly and continue to measure usage, but the radio transmitters and their batteries that send readings have exceeded service life and are the primary cause of reading discrepancies. Staff said residents with apparent meter problems should request an on‑site read and the department will “true up the bill” if a fault is found.
Councilor Spang asked about water and sewer enterprise capital. Collins said the department is buying materials needed for distribution work and that the coming meter‑replacement debt will be the next long‑term borrowing the utility will take on. He said the department performs much work in‑house, which has produced significant savings compared with contractors, but that rates will need to rise incrementally to sustain capital replacement and any regional wastewater plant upgrades (SESD/Salem‑Beverly projects) that are anticipated.
Discussion points vs. decisions
Discussion only: the scope and schedule of the meter replacement, causes of reading/billing discrepancies, and the need for future rate adjustments to fund capital work.
Direction/assignment: staff encouraged residents with suspected meter issues to request an on‑site read to reconcile bills; Collins said the city will prioritize meters that are not communicating.
Formal action: none recorded on rate changes in the transcript.
Ending
Officials said installations will begin soon and that customers with communication issues can be prioritized for replacement.
