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Millis approves $1.29 million borrowing for townwide smart‑meter replacement; residents ask about 'always‑on' meters
Summary
Town meeting authorized $1,286,633 in borrowing for a townwide water meter replacement program with fixed-network smart meters; the DPW director confirmed the new meters will be continuously on and read remotely, and officials estimated a roughly $4/month typical bill increase by FY2029.
Town meeting approved Article 9, authorizing the treasurer with Select Board approval to borrow $1,286,633 to replace aging water meters with a modern fixed‑network system meant to improve accuracy, leak detection and billing.
David Romaci, the DPW director, described the technology and its benefits: “They're gonna be a Wi Fi direct, meters. They will be able to be read instantly as soon as the [DPW] office decides that if there's a problem or if you call the office, they'll be able to read them instantly.” He said the system uses three antennas placed around town that will read meters multiple times a day.
At the microphone, resident Phil Borgeson asked whether the new units are “smart meters that are gonna be, like, on all the time?” Romaci confirmed they are “on” and will be readable remotely. Officials told town meeting the work is an enterprise project paid by water rates and not the property tax levy; the DPW estimated the typical household water bill could rise by about $4 per month by FY2029 to cover debt service.
Because the article authorizes borrowing it required a two‑thirds vote; Moderator Bruce Kenaragi declared that threshold met and the article passed by the required margin. The DPW said installation would take roughly one to one‑and‑a‑half years and that replacement will be mandatory when a property requires a new meter.
The record shows public interest on privacy and operation: residents asked whether meters are continuously transmitting; officials confirmed the system will be networked and capable of remote reads and faster leak detection.
