Grain Valley council approves renewal of Neptune meter software/hardware support

The Grain Valley City Council approved Resolution R24‑48 authorizing the city administrator to renew the annual software and hardware maintenance and support agreement with Neptune Technology, the vendor the city uses for water meters and data collection.

City staff explained that Neptune provides the meters and a software package that receives automated meter readings at frequent intervals, reducing field reads and enabling staff to detect unusually high usage and contact property owners about possible leaks. "Neptune is the company that we use for water meter and meter and data collection, for water billing purposes," a staff member said during the discussion.

An alderman asked whether Neptune uses an open standard protocol or a proprietary one. A staff member replied, "It's a it's a proprietary," and council members noted that the city is effectively tied to Neptune because the meters and software are integrated.

The resolution was moved, seconded and approved by voice vote. The transcript did not record contract dollar amounts or the precise term beyond describing the item as the annual maintenance and support renewal; staff indicated the city has used Neptune meters for roughly 15 years and entered the current software agreement about two years earlier.

The council did not discuss alternative vendors at length during this item; an alderman characterized the protocol as proprietary and staff said replacing the system would require moving in a different direction and potentially replacing meters.