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Council discussion flags aging meters and weak conservation incentives under flat-rate billing
Summary
Staff raised that aging mechanical water meters may under-report flows in some locations, potentially explaining water loss and weakening conservation incentives; council discussed targeted meter replacement and whether to capitalize replacement costs or raise usage charges.
City staff and councilors discussed water-meter accuracy, billing structure and the cost trade-offs of replacing aging meters during the meeting.
A staff member (S1) said many meters were installed roughly 20 years ago and that mechanical wear can cause under-reading — in some cases to as low as mid-60s to 70% of flow — which both undercounts water use and reduces customers' financial incentive to conserve. The staff member noted roughly 6,800 customer accounts exist and that not every account corresponds to a single meter; some meters currently are not being read.
Councilors and staff debated options: continue flat-rate charges to ensure revenue stability for staffing and debt service; target replacement of meters known to be inaccurate; or capitalize meter replacement costs and pass them to customers. One staffer said the city performs limited meter replacement where units are not cost-effective to maintain.
No formal motion to change rates or launch a full replacement program was recorded in this segment. Councilors asked staff to gather more detailed counts and cost estimates before any decision about broader meter replacement or billing changes.
