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Trenton council reworks and reenacts water hookup ordinance, moves to tighten metering
Summary
After an in-person public hearing, the council approved ordinance 2026-04-03 (water hookups) and discussed new cellular-reading meters, a separate meter class for IFA's agronomy facility, and steps to monitor leaks and usage.
The Trenton Town Council reopened a public hearing and approved the water hookup ordinance listed on the agenda as ordinance 2026-04-03-Water during its April meeting, the chair (S1) said.
Committee member (S4) read prior minutes summarizing earlier debate over the number of hookups and the town's water-master planning. "At peak usage in June, the town spilled 17,000 gallons, and peak use in July '24, the town spilled 70,000 gallons," S4 said while recapping the water study figures discussed last year.
The rewritten ordinance was presented to correct procedural issues from the prior approval and to ensure the change was adopted with the required in-person process. A motion to approve the ordinance was made, seconded and carried by voice vote.
Why it matters: Council members stressed the town’s water supply is constrained and that accurate measurement and billing are essential for equitable distribution and planning. S4 noted the town received a grant to replace meters with cellular-reading units; those meters will allow closer, more frequent reads to detect leaks quickly. "These cellular reader meters ... they'll be set up on a fifth, 5 minute, 15 minute, whatever reading," S5 said, describing how the new system will improve monitoring.
Discussion and specifics: Council and staff discussed giving IFA (an agronomy facility discussed in the meeting) a separate meter class: maintaining a 1-inch meter for shop buildings and adding a 2-inch meter for agronomy operations so usage could be tracked and billed separately. Council members said IFA would pay installation costs beyond the town-setter and meter, while the town would own the meter and setter.
Council members also raised placement and protection of meters and hydrants; S5 suggested adding lockboxes or padlocks to hydrants used by trucks and discussed emergency-key distribution to local responders.
Next steps: Staff will swap in the new cellular meters beginning late April or May, finalize meter placement agreements with IFA, and bring any remaining applications (commercial or industrial hookups) to the council for in-person explanation before approval.
