Broken Arrow to launch VX Smart portal May 5, giving customers near‑real‑time water usage and leak alerts

The Broken Arrow Municipal Authority on the meeting agenda heard a presentation about VX Smart, a new customer utility portal set to launch May 5 that city staff say will give residents near‑real‑time access to water‑use data and automated leak alerts.

Timothy Robbins, utilities director, told trustees the authority’s multiyear investment in AMR/AMI meters—“over 42,000 meters in the ground right now”—and 28 data gateways on towers and poles let meter reads flow via cellular networks into Neptune 360. Robbins said the move replaces drive‑by reads and reduces the delay from monthly or 45‑day reads to roughly a 24‑hour data refresh. “This is the customer utility portal… called VX Smart,” Robbins said during the presentation.

Robbins described customer-facing features the portal will offer, including daily usage reporting, a home water report and a “water score” that compares a household’s use against profiles labeled efficient and average. He said the system will also support leak‑detection alerts and a leak‑troubleshooting wizard to help customers diagnose and address continuous use. Robbins told trustees VX Smart will allow customers to view consumption down to hourly intervals—what he described as a first for customers in Oklahoma—and emphasized that notifications and analytics aim to help residents reduce waste and avoid unexpectedly high bills.

Aaron McCullough, the city’s director of communications, outlined an outreach plan ahead of the May 5 rollout: radio spots (KRMG), a City Council Rewind segment, an explainer article, frequently asked questions on the city website and video tutorials. “I am one of those people that have already benefited from this. As I found out, I had a water leak,” McCullough said, using his experience to illustrate the portal’s consumer benefit.

Trustees asked about scope and practicalities. A trustee asked whether the portal would apply to nearby Rural Water 4; Robbins said the portal is for Broken Arrow water customers only. Robbins also explained that households are compared to similar‑size and occupancy profiles when computing the water score, and that customers who prefer paper billing can continue to pay in person or by drop‑off. Paymentus remains integrated in the new platform and Robbins said existing autopay customers will transition into VX Smart without interruption.

City staff emphasized a multi‑week communications push in late April and early May, with materials to help customers register and interpret the new data. Robbins and McCullough invited trustees and the public to watch the outreach materials and contact city communications with questions ahead of the May 5 launch.

The presentation was informational; the transcript records no formal action or vote tied to adopting the portal at this meeting. The authority then moved on to routine business and adjournment.