Public works pushes Schneider asset management, AMI meters and stormwater steps in Shelton’s 2026 plan

Public Works Director Jay Harris presented a comprehensive 2026 work plan on Feb. 10 that prioritizes field-friendly asset management, improved GIS mapping, AMI water monitoring and proactive maintenance to preserve pavement condition across the city.

Harris said staff are moving away from the Tyler platform for field asset management and towards Schneider’s out-of-the-box solution to make tablet workflows more intuitive for field crews. He said existing work orders and aging schedules will migrate to the new system and that improved asset tracking—complete with timestamped photos—will help risk-management claims handling.

The department will also expand GIS accuracy for stormwater and other infrastructure mapping and implement AMI (advanced metering infrastructure) meter reading with a fixed-base antenna to enable near-real-time customer water-use data and automated leak detection. Harris explained that AMI would allow customers to see day-to-day water use patterns and help staff detect running toilets or leaks earlier than monthly reads permit.

Harris flagged the city’s pavement-condition index in the low 70s and warned that deferring maintenance could push the network into a much more expensive repair cycle. He urged continued investment in the Street Fund and proposed a longer-term goal of making it more financially standalone to avoid cutting programs or staff.

On environmental and emergency planning, public works said it will pursue stormwater permit compliance, fish-recovery work and climate resilience steps for flood and wildfire risk, and described a plan to maintain fuel inventories and run tabletop exercises for water emergencies.

What’s next: Public works will return with implementation details for the Schneider software migration, a proposed AMI timeline and stormwater mapping deliverables.