Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Utilities Water Meters topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Brighton approves $518,000 plan to replace aging water-meter transmitters
Summary
Brighton City Council approved a $518,000 purchase to replace 3,200 aging SmartPoint (MXU) water-meter transmitters and a $268,000 budget amendment from the utilities fund to pay for the work.
Brighton — The Brighton City Council on July 22 approved buying 3,200 SmartPoint (MXU) meter transceivers from Aetna Supply at a not-to-exceed price of $518,000 and approved a $268,000 budget amendment using utility fund balance to complete the purchase.
City water superintendent Josh Bradley told council the city’s existing transmitters are 15–20 years old, about 18 years on average, and that the manufacturer informed staff the older software will no longer receive updates. Bradley said the vendor offered an expedited full-replacement price that included a $25,000 discount and absorption of tariff costs if the order was placed quickly.
“Right now we have 3,200 older-style MXUs that need to get addressed,” Bradley said during his presentation. He told council the city has already placed newer FlexNet-style units on about 1,500 properties and that replacing the remaining units will protect billing accuracy and allow longer-term automation improvements.
Director of Finance Liz Gaines explained the financing plan: staff identified $250,000 in budget savings and asked council to authorize an additional $18,000 from utility fund balance, producing the requested $268,000 amendment. Gaines said the utilities fund — not the city’s general fund — covers the cost and that township customers on the system also share the cost through user fees.
Council members debated timing, labor impacts and future functionality. Members noted labor savings from remote reads and the potential to add an antenna/tower later to allow meter reads and alerts from City Hall. Councilmember Jim Gibson argued full replacement now captures the vendor discount and prevents future price increases; he made the motion to approve the purchase. The motion passed unanimously.
The council directed staff to proceed and to prioritize installation. Bradley said in-house crews can replace roughly 15–20 units per person per day and that the vendor will supply additional programming equipment with the order.
