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Apopka officials report progress, inventory shortfalls in citywide water‑meter replacement program
Summary
Utility staff told the council the program has reviewed 2,900 meters since a October pilot and completed about 1,100 exchanges and 1,100 retrofits; about 647 problematic meters remain and staff said inventory and base‑station lead times continue to constrain work.
Apopka utility staff on April 2 updated the City Council on a citywide water‑meter replacement and maintenance program that began with a pilot on Oct. 31, 2024.
Gabby, the utility program supervisor leading the effort, said the master list reviewed 2,900 meters. "The program commenced with a pilot on 10/31/2024," she said, and the full rollout included a mix of meter exchanges (replacements) and retrofits (reprogramming of FlexNet communications devices). Gabby reported about 1,100 meters were exchanged and roughly 1,100 were retrofitted; roughly 647 meters were identified as "skipped" and are being handled by city crews for reasons ranging from inaccessible meter boxes to damaged piping.
Blanche Sherman, finance director, described the billing impact and outreach. "We've actually seen a reduction in the estimated billing from October through March about 2,121, which is a 29% reduction," she told the council, and she noted the city had mailed notices, left door hangers and published bill notices to alert customers of meter work. Sherman also described how estimated bills are calculated and said collections and debt‑covenant obligations limit the city's ability to waive charges, so staff are offering payment plans and reduced consumption rate calculations where appropriate.
Councilors pressed staff on lead times for inventory and base‑station upgrades. Gabby said meter and FlexNet supply remains constrained: a pallet yields roughly 192 meters and single FlexNet units have been slower to arrive; she said she currently had about 980 FlexNet sets on hand against an estimated 1,500 homes that need them. The city is tracking base‑station replacements and is pursuing one replacement install next week; additional base stations depend on interlocal agreements where towers are not city‑owned.
On enforcement and data integrity, staff said the city had begun marking meters with house numbers and issuing fines when contractors move or misassign meter equipment. "If we find out that it's been moved, we issue a $500 fine," Gabby said as an enforcement tool to protect system data.
Next steps identified for council: staff will continue the contractor work, follow up on skipped meters with internal crews, seek additional FlexNet and meter inventory as available, and request dedicated funding in the FY25‑26 utility maintenance budget to allow a contractor to focus exclusively on meter work rather than splitting crews across other duties.
The council did not take separate formal action on the meter update at this meeting; staff will return with budget requests and follow‑up materials.
