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Woodstock council adopts fee-schedule changes, adds $1-per-meter monitoring charge
Summary
The Woodstock City Council approved Resolution No. 2020-63 amending the city's water/sewer/stormwater fee schedule to remove several large-meter line items and add a $1-per-month meter monitoring and maintenance charge to fund a Flomac contract; the vote was 4-0 with two councilmembers absent.
The Woodstock City Council voted unanimously Thursday to adopt Resolution No. 2020-63, amending the city's fee schedule for water, sewer and stormwater services to reflect current meter availability and to add a monthly meter-monitoring charge. The motion carried 4-0 with Councilmembers Potts and Wolf absent.
The measure removes certain meter-size line items from the development-fee tables (staff said 1.5-, 3- and 4-inch meter entries are being eliminated because those meter sizes are no longer offered to developers) and adds a service charge of $1 per month, per meter, to fund a comprehensive monitoring and maintenance program to be provided by Flomac. "The proposed dollar per meter monthly fee will fund a comprehensive maintenance and monitoring program provided by Flomac, ensuring the reliability and accuracy of our meter system," Ms. Adams said during the council presentation.
Ms. Adams told the council the Flomac agreement would supply trained personnel to handle meter upkeep, repairs, manual reads when needed, and warranty work on AMI radio transmitters and associated equipment, which staff said is more cost-effective than hiring additional in-house technicians.
Council members questioned the policy and equity effects of removing less-common meter sizes from the schedule. One councilmember asked whether eliminating 3- and 4-inch options might inadvertently raise development costs for certain projects; Ms. Adams replied the sizes were rarely requested and the change is largely a cleanup of the fee table. "If that's not something being demanded by the market, I think it's fine," the councilmember said.
The resolution passed on a voice vote after a motion from Councilman Usher and a second from Councilman Johnson. The council packet contained a redline of the proposed ordinance amendments and the detailed fee table adjustments. City staff said they will return with final ordinance language as required by state procedures for ordinance amendments.
The action follows the city's review of meter practices and a broader effort to ensure operational reliability of the automated meter infrastructure. No opponents spoke during the public-hearing portion of the item.
What happens next: staff will prepare final ordinance language and any necessary notices and return to council for formal ordinance adoption steps required by state law.
