Ascension Parish committee pauses on locked meter boxes; administration to return with options

The Ascension Parish Utilities Committee on July 16 discussed concerns about new locked water meter boxes installed under an Army Corps of Engineers-funded project and asked administration to return with legally and financially feasible options within about 30 days.

Miss Ruben, speaking for administration, said the project came through the Army Corps and that administration, utility staff, finance and legal are working together on solutions. “We do have some ideas, but we need to make sure that legally and financially that we can do those,” she said, and added the administration “hope[s] within 30 days to be able to come back and provide those to you either at the utilities meeting or at a council meeting.”

Committee members said the lockboxes raise practical access concerns because many older homes in the parish do not have a local shutoff valve downstream of the meter. One committee member noted that if a homeowner cannot shut off water on their own, they would have to wait for staff to unlock a meter in an emergency.

The chair noted the mayor had submitted a letter opposing locked meter boxes. Administration described the units currently in place as older boxes paid for with limited Army Corps funding and said the funding ran out before all meters could be upgraded. The administration asked committee members to submit suggestions and said it would return with options and any recommended path forward.

No formal policy change or ordinance amendment was proposed at the meeting; the discussion ended with a commitment from administration to report back with possible solutions.