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Guthrie council approves $67,595 sole-source AMI base station to improve water meter network
Summary
Council approved a sole-source purchase and installation of a Census FlexNet AMI base station (UTS) for $67,595 to improve meter reading redundancy; $55,000 was budgeted and the remaining $12,005.95 will come from GPWA savings, per staff.
The Guthrie City Council voted to approve the purchase and installation of a new AMI (automated meter infrastructure) base station for the city's water meter network during its Feb. 3 meeting.
Staff said the city's Census FlexNet radio network requires a fully compatible base station and that Utility Technology Services (UTS) is the sole authorized supplier and integrator for the system. Staff presented a turnkey quote of $67,595 for equipment, installation, certification, testing and a five-year protection plan.
Funding and rationale: Staff said $55,000 was budgeted for the project this fiscal year and that the remaining $12,005.95 would be funded from available savings within the GPWA funds. The city manager and staff emphasized that adding a third base station creates redundancy for the network and reduces the risk of a repeat billing disruption if a base station fails.
Quote from staff: The presenter said the purchase is necessary because one existing base station is about 14 years old and beyond the typical 7–10 year life expectancy, and that the proposed West Side water tower location would provide strongest signal coverage; staff called the coverage improvement "approximately 95%" of the city.
Outcome: Council moved, seconded and approved the sole-source purchase; the motion passed unanimously.
