Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Meter Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Richmond moves toward 'one curb stop, one master meter' policy while deploying new meters
Summary
The commission signaled support for a policy treating the town account as one master meter per curb stop, to avoid shut‑off issues with multiple public meters, and approved purchase orders for a long‑term study and new water meters. Staff will draft a written policy and return it for a formal vote.
The Richmond Water & Sewer Commission signaled general consensus on Sept. 3, 2024, to adopt a policy approach of one town curb stop tied to one master meter for billing and service control, while allowing property owners to install private meters downstream at their own expense.
Staff explained the underlying problem: when multiple meters are installed downstream of a single curb stop, the town cannot individually shut off service to a nonpaying tenant because the curb stop controls the entire connection. To avoid that enforcement gap, the superintendent recommended the town treat multiple private meters as owner responsibility and maintain the town account as a single master meter tied to the curb stop. Commissioners asked staff to draft a written policy that would include grandfathering language for existing multi‑meter setups and instructions for property owners who want to add private meters on the owner’s side of the curb stop.
Commissioners also approved procurement actions tied to the meter rollout. The board approved purchase order #5057 to Zener USA for the purchase of water meters (amount discussed in the meeting at approximately $117,000–$117,250) and reported that a Zener representative (Noah) will be on site to support installation and set up a web portal for customers. The superintendent said the town recently surpassed 100 installed meters and expects additional support from Zener during the coming weeks.
Staff said the town has about 75 removed meters from inventory (roughly 50 they expect to be usable) and recommended giving those used meters to property owners at no charge, without warranty, to allow owners to manage tenant billing internally. Commissioners agreed that used meters could be provided 'as is' and asked staff to include that disposition approach in the draft policy packet.
The commission directed staff to bring a draft meter policy to the next meeting, including details on grandfathered conditions, how fixed fees will be handled for reconfigured accounts, and operational guidance for installations and shutoffs. No formal policy vote occurred at this meeting; the discussion produced general consensus and an instruction to return with formal policy language and a vote.
