Saint Helena council approves $565,063 contract to replace aging water meters, directs staff to review maintenance funding

The Saint Helena City Council voted 4–1 Feb. 11 to award a construction contract to Professional Meters, Inc. for the city—s smart meter replacement project (CIP W2404), approving the resolution and directing staff to review funding for future maintenance costs such as battery replacement.

Council action closed a long-running procurement and implementation discussion about replacing aging pneumatic and radio meters with modern ultrasonic/cellular meters and a customer portal (Eye on Water). Deputy City Manager Leslie Milton and Public Works Director Leach told the council staff had already purchased meters and many lids, performed a prequalification and that the lowest responsive construction bid was $565,063 from Professional Meters, Inc.

Council members said the project addresses multiple operational problems. Director Leach said more than half the city—s metered connections now require manual rereads, that the city is experiencing about 30% unaccounted-for water (loss that includes leaks and under-registering meters), and that the new system would give customers near-real-time usage and help staff detect leaks faster.

The project budget and procurement history were central to the debate. Staff reported $1,180,000 in prior expenditures (meters, lids, engineering/construction…