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City moves toward citywide radio-read meters; staff budgets meter technician and MXU replacements
Summary
Highland will activate pressure-irrigation radio reads in April, add a full-time meter technician and continue MXU replacement purchases; residents will gain access to near-real-time water-usage data when the system is turned on.
City staff told the council the city’s pressure‑irrigation (PI) radio-read system will go live in mid‑April and that the tentative budget includes a full-time meter technician position split between the PI and culinary water funds.
Staff said the city will move from about 4,500 remotely read meters to roughly 9,000 meters when PI is fully active. The new meter technician’s duties would include installing new meters, troubleshooting and repairing problem meters, managing radio communications for meter reading and supporting the MXU replacement program. Mortensen said the city has pre-purchased MXUs (meter communication units) and will need to replace about 4,000 MXUs as they reach end of life in the coming years.
Mortensen described the customer-facing benefit: once the PI and MXU systems are fully functional, residents will be able to view near-real-time usage and identify leaks, a key element for any water-conservation program. Staff said the first year will primarily be a data-gathering phase and any conservation program rollout should build on that data.
Council members asked about timing for resident access; staff said the system should be available after the PI system is activated and staff completes initial checks. The tentative budget covers the new technician through utility-rate-funded positions; the water fund staff noted that the water fund is tight on days of cash on hand and that a water-rate study is under way to examine long-term rate needs.
