North Powder council approves meter relocation during construction, addresses billing outage and potential shutoffs
Summary
Council approved relocating and splitting meters for the Grange and post office during construction, endorsed after-hours call pay rules, and instructed staff to pursue collections after a billing system outage that could delay a replacement until March.
At its Nov. 12 special meeting, the North Powder City Council approved moving and splitting water meters for the Grange and post office while construction is underway and addressed a billing-system outage that has halted routine billing.
Public Works recommended relocating meters during the library/construction work to separate meter responsibilities for the Grange and post office. Tonya Dias moved to approve the meter relocation; Midge Clause seconded the motion and the council voted in favor.
Council discussed after-hours call compensation (one hour of pay per call per employee) and clarified that water meters are city-owned; members asked staff to add meter ownership and related notices to the city newsletter.
The recorder reported the billing system had stopped running and staff have contacted technical support. Replacement equipment is not expected before March. Council authorized staff to pursue collections, including shutting off service for accounts that remain unpaid, as needed to enforce collections policy.
Why it matters: The billing outage creates immediate collections and operational burdens for staff and residents; relocating meters during construction is intended to prevent service disputes and simplify future billing.
What’s next: Staff will convene a special meeting to finalize meter relocation logistics, publish meter/collection notices in the newsletter, and continue attempts to restore or replace the billing system.
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