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Irving proposes $20M AMI smart‑meter program, water and wastewater 5‑year rate plan
Summary
Water and wastewater staff presented a capital plan emphasizing meter replacements, a proposed AMI smart‑meter rollout (~$20M over 4–5 years), and a 5‑year rate plan (water +4.6% avg; wastewater +8.4% avg). Staff said reserves and debt coverage are sufficient but warned TRA treatment costs will rise.
Water and wastewater staff briefed council on operations, capital needs and a multi‑year rate path to maintain infrastructure and reserves. Staff highlighted an aggressive meter‑replacement program (4,000–5,000 meters per year) and proposed a full AMI (advanced metering infrastructure) rollout to give hourly reads and customer leak detection; staff estimated the AMI investment at about $20 million over the next four to five years and included the work in the five‑year CIP.
The utility's five‑year plan shows average annual increases of about 4.6% for water and 8.4% for wastewater (roughly a combined 6.6% average bill increase for many residential customers). Todd and other staff noted that treatment costs, especially TRA wastewater charges, are a major driver and likely to rise materially in coming years. "Debt service is 24.7M, cash is $24.5M — so we are 50% of all of our capital projects we're paying in cash," the manager noted, highlighting the city’s strong cash funding of capital projects compared with past practice.
Staff stressed maintaining reserve targets (about 120 days) and debt coverage ratios and said the plan keeps Irving’s residential rates near the low end among regional peers. Council asked for implementation details and timing; staff will return with procurement plans and phased rate schedules for council action.
