Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Albany council approves exemption to buy automatic water‑meter system, staff to begin installation planning
Loading...
Summary
The council adopted a resolution allowing the city to purchase and install an automatic metering infrastructure (AMI) system without a separate competitive bid, clearing the way for a planned five‑year deployment estimated at $6.3 million and ongoing subscription costs.
The Albany City Council on Sept. 10 adopted a resolution exempting the city from competitive bidding to purchase and install an automatic metering infrastructure (AMI) system for its water meters.
Scott Larocque, who presented the project to the council, said AMI would let the city collect meter reads continuously rather than once a month, enabling earlier detection of customer‑side leaks and system‑wide leak‑detection capabilities. "It provides a lot more information, for the billing office," Larocque said, adding that more frequent reads also would let utility staff alert customers about suspected leaks well before month‑end bills arrive.
Larocque told the council the city produces about 3,000,000,000 gallons of water annually and estimates current water loss at roughly 9–10 percent. He said a 1 percentage‑point improvement in loss would save about 30,000,000 gallons per year. The project as described to the council carries an estimated price tag of about $6.3 million over five years; roughly $370,000 of that would be equipment attributable to Millersburg and reimbursed when that city accepts installation. The city has earmarked $1,000,000 in reserves and plans annual operating contributions (about $250,000/year) toward rollout. Larocque also estimated annual vendor subscription and reporting fees at about $58,000.
Councilors asked operational and cost questions during a detailed Q&A. Larocque said the city had bought about 30 of the smaller Camstrup meters for testing and expected in‑house crews to perform most installations, with antenna installs handled by a partner contractor; the deployment target is five years. Staff described warranty and battery considerations, saying some larger Camstrup meter batteries are replaceable and that the manufacturer warrants components up to 20 years.
A councilor moved to adopt the resolution exempting AMI procurement from competitive bidding; the motion was seconded and passed by voice vote. The council did not record a roll‑call tally in the public transcript.
Next steps: staff will proceed with procurement and deployment planning consistent with the approved exemption and return to council with contract details and schedule as procurement advances.
