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Millis officials detail $1.2M water‑meter replacement plan and related borrowing authorization
Summary
Town staff presented a $1.2 million plan to replace aging residential water meters with automated, remote‑read devices and three antennas; funding is proposed via borrowing (Article 9) split among water, sewer and stormwater enterprise funds and would require town meeting approval.
Town staff and the finance committee discussed an anticipated $1.2 million meter‑replacement program at the April 8 Finance Committee meeting and the accompanying borrowing authorization to pay for it.
David Ramachi, the town’s DPW director, told the committee the project replaces residential meters and aging outside reading devices with a networked system that will send reads to the billing office via three antennas (likely mounted on town water towers). He said the replacement program responds to device aging and a pattern of estimated reads — the DPW reported nearly 1,000 zero reads last quarter that required manual estimates — and is consistent with state regulatory expectations for accurate metering.
Ramachi described benefits: improved billing accuracy, near‑real‑time usage alerts, faster leak detection and reduced staff time spent collecting manual reads. He estimated a townwide rollout would take roughly 12–18 months and that some homeowners who refuse access would receive notices and, ultimately, water shutoff as an enforcement option.
The project is paired with borrowing authorization reported as Article 9 on the May warrant. Finance staff told the committee that water, sewer and stormwater enterprise funds would share debt service roughly 50/50 for water and sewer (the stormwater share as applicable), and that the actual rate impact depends on bond terms and timing. Jody said the finance team will provide estimates of the rate impact when bond pricing is known and recommended not relying on tapping enterprise retained earnings to avoid dropping reserves below policy targets.
Committee members sought details about payback, operational savings and contingencies (for valve replacements discovered during installation). Staff said cost‑savings arise from not sending employees to perform routine reads, fewer estimated bills and fewer billing disputes; contingency for gate‑valve work was acknowledged as a likely additional cost but not included in the current estimate. The committee noted the project’s status as capital and the need for clear voter materials explaining rates and reserve impacts if Article 9 goes to town meeting.
