Board approves $39,500 AMI meter system to speed leak detection and billing

The Service Board voted to approve an initial purchase of $39,500 to install an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) system that will allow automated, near-real-time reads of water meters.

Scott of the Service Board company presented the plan, saying the antenna mounted to the water tower would collect reads around the clock and push data via cellular backhaul to town hall. "I'm Scott with the Service Board company," he began, and described how the system would produce roughly 15-minute meter updates once gateways and collectors are in place. He said most meters in town are now the newer V4 style compatible with the system, though about 430 residential meters still need replacement.

Scott said the all-in price for the initial phase is $39,500 and that annual software fees will likely rise from about $3,800 now to approximately $4,800 because of increased data storage. Board members asked about coverage gaps in low-lying areas and about staff training; Scott said the vendor will work with staff during the first months to identify meters that need hardware changes or antenna adjustments and to train office personnel.

During questions, an attendee said a local facility with a typical $80 monthly bill once received a single $864 water bill tied to the Neptune system, and she warned that staff must learn to use the software to prevent customer surprise. Scott and the board said initial training and monitoring will be part of rollout.

The board moved and approved the purchase to begin the first phase. Staff were asked to coordinate installation, meter replacements for the remaining older devices, and training for office staff, and to report back on coverage and software costs.

Next steps: vendor installation, a month-long monitoring period to identify coverage gaps, and follow-up work orders to change or repair meters or antennas as needed.