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Lansdale electric department outlines billing fixes, deposit credits, meter replacement and EV fleet purchases
Summary
Staff told council committees that billing errors have been corrected, the borough will begin refunding about 3,000 residential electric deposits as credits, install 2,500 new electric meters starting January, and lease four vehicles (including two Ford Lightning EV pickups) under a five‑year plan totaling $276,000.
Borough electric staff told Lansdale council committees on June 4 that they have identified and corrected billing-account errors, will begin returning residential electric deposits as credits, and are planning major equipment and fleet updates.
Billing and deposits: Staff reported that account formulas and billing records have been corrected and “we have a clear path to a nice and stable future for our electric billing,” according to Councilman Carroll relaying the department update. The borough intends to begin crediting about 3,000 residential electric deposits back to customers’ accounts starting next month; officials cautioned the refund will be a manual, account‑by‑account process and could take months to complete.
Meter replacements: The department plans to install roughly 2,500 new meters starting in January, completing the borough’s meter upgrade program and moving to 100% of customers on the newer meter platform. Staff estimated installation will take three to four months once it begins.
Substation and equipment planning: Council members heard that the Ninth Street substation is about 70% complete and expected to be back online within roughly six weeks. The electric department is working with a consultant on a five‑year equipment and capital plan.
Fleet and vehicle leasing: The borough will move ahead with leasing four vehicles through a municipal leasing program: two Ford Lightning pickups (for electric and wastewater operations) and two Chevy Tahoes for police. The five‑year lease package totals $276,000; at lease end the borough can purchase each vehicle for $1.
Why it matters: Returning deposits and updating meters are billed as steps to resolve longstanding customer‑billing problems and reduce future administrative burden. The new meters and the capital planning work aim to modernize infrastructure and shorten lead times for replacement equipment.
Timeline and caveats: Officials emphasized there is not a single on/off switch for deposit refunds; staff will process credits in groups over several months and hope to complete refunds by year‑end, pending staffing and system work.
A committee member praised the department for cross‑training staff and completing the billing fixes; there were no formal objections recorded at the work session.
