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Osakis council directs staff to draft ordinance allowing non‑compliance fees for water‑meter battery replacement
Summary
After staff reported 24 properties that did not replace water‑meter batteries despite multiple notices, the council directed staff to draft language to amend the meter ordinance to allow a non‑compliance fee; council noted limits on winter shutoffs.
Council members on Dec. 8 directed city staff to draft ordinance language that would allow a non‑compliance fee for water‑meter battery replacement after staff reported 24 properties had received three notices and not complied.
Angela Jacobson and staff discussed how the utility currently estimates usage when a battery or remote reading is absent; staff said estimates are based on customers' averages and acknowledged the system can sometimes produce unexpected high bills. Council members and staff raised practical limits on using shutoffs as enforcement during cold weather and said a fee-based compliance mechanism could be a viable alternative. Staff noted meter batteries typically last about 10–12 years.
The council voted to move forward with preparing draft ordinance language for a non‑compliance fee and asked staff to perform additional checks (including reviewing the 24 accounts to confirm system estimates). No final ordinance was adopted at the meeting; the action was to prepare draft language for council review at a future meeting.
