Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Utilities topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
St. Peter council adopts fee for manual meter visits tied to AMI rollout
Summary
As part of its AMI meter installation, the council approved a 'meter search' charge for households that refuse or are unreachable after documented outreach; staff estimated 5–10 households would be affected and said the fee is avoidable with cooperation.
City staff told the council May 27 that St. Peter is roughly 70% complete on its advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) program for electric and water meters and that a small number of households have refused entry or have been unreachable. To cover the labor and billing costs associated with manual meter reads or extra visits, staff proposed adding a meter 'search' fee to the city’s fee schedule.
Pete explained the fee is intended to be avoidable: staff will document outreach, notify the customer with a timeline and assess the fee only after those steps. Staff estimated about 5–10 households remain outstanding and said the water meter swap typically takes about 10 minutes. The proposed fee amount is grounded in staff time and expense estimates and will be adjusted annually through the normal fee-schedule review.
Council discussed outreach efforts and the fairness of adding fees during a period of broader rate increases. Supporters said the fee allocates the incremental cost of manual reads to those who require them; opponents questioned adding further charges. The resolution to revise the fee schedule to include the meter search charge passed by roll call (one ‘no’ vote recorded). Staff said customers who later accept meter installation would have the fee removed from future bills.
