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Town considers third-party installation of new water meters and switching to monthly billing
Summary
Officials discussed whether to hire a contractor to install new water meters or install them in-house, with concerns about installation time, warranty/defect risk and delinquent accounts prompting consideration of a switch to monthly billing. Staff will obtain cost estimates and a parts list ahead of the next meeting.
Meeting participants debated how to install a planned set of replacement water meters and whether to change billing from quarterly to monthly.
A participant said the town has the funds to buy most of the meters and suggested ordering perhaps half now while staff lines up programming and vendor support. They noted a prior turnkey installation included a few defective meters that the contractor removed and replaced, and that a turnkey contract can simplify expectations by making the vendor responsible for meters working by a stated date. One participant estimated that in-house installation could take “two to three months” and raised the risk that a meter vendor might claim improper Town installation if problems occur.
Members discussed switching to monthly water billing after the new meters are installed to reduce large quarterly balances that frequently go unpaid. The group noted some households fall far behind on quarterly bills and said monthly cycles could prevent large arrears and reduce shutoffs. Participants also mentioned a small number of properties currently without service and the possibility of following up with welfare checks.
Next steps: staff was asked to obtain a detailed list of meter models and which buildings/businesses require specific meters, get firm cost estimates and bring quotes and a recommendation to the next regular meeting.
