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Council directs city manager to explore USDA support for meter upgrade after AMI pitch
Summary
A vendor said advanced metering infrastructure could reduce unbilled water and produce a payback in about 8–10 years; council asked the city manager to contact USDA about possible grant/loan support and approved pursuing next steps.
A representative from Meter Syss told the Hamlet City Council that replacing aging mechanical meters with advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) would provide daily automated reads, faster leak detection and better billing accuracy — and that the city already has a complete field survey that can support procurement.
"It's the cash registry of your system," Andy Honeyut said, describing meters as the mechanism that records system usage and revenue. He summarized a multi‑year history of work for the city, a 2024 field survey of roughly 3,000 meters, and cost estimates for a pilot and broader deployment: a turnkey pilot implementation (about 1,000 meters) with professional services of roughly $98,000 and capital near $491,000, and a full city‑wide estimate of about $2.1 million. Honeyut said per‑meter all‑in costs generally range from $350 to $450 and that integration, first‑year licensing and professional services are likely in the $40,000–$60,000 range with annual licensing around $15,000–$20,000 thereafter.
Water department staff said AMI would allow customers and staff to see daily consumption and trigger alerts for abnormal usage that often flags leaks or other problems. "I can read my own meter. I can see how much water I've used that day," said Robert Brown, describing the customer visibility and troubleshooting benefits.
Honeyut said typical payback windows on similar projects are eight to 10 years from recovered revenue and reduced operational costs and that USDA has signaled openness to grant/loan discussions for projects that help utilities modernize. Council members discussed the cost relative to other pending capital projects and the possibility of phased deployment, including a pilot.
A council member moved that City Manager John contact USDA to explore grant/loan options to support an AMI pilot or larger deployment; the motion was seconded and passed on a voice vote. The manager said he would pursue funding conversations and report back to council.
