Council hears storm-response update; CWLP outlines AMI rollout and outage-map limits

Councilors heard a multi-department briefing on the city's response to a recent storm and on CWLP outage-map capabilities.

Public Works recounted operations: crews prioritized clearing limbs and trees that blocked roadways and had cleared pavement-blocking debris by about 6 a.m. after the storm and sent day crews to clear sidewalks and driveways the following day. Staff said they are planning a scheduled citywide branch pickup in October but will open tickets for residents with substantial branches in the interim.

CWLP staff described utility outage work and future improvements: the utility said AMI (advanced metering infrastructure) reader installation across the city will take roughly three years and that integrating a more detailed public-facing outage map would require a separate software and integration project with an estimated $2–3 million cost. CWLP staff emphasized careful control of publicly-disclosed outage detail for safety reasons and said large outages were restored in about 30 hours with smaller pockets still being addressed.

Council members commended crews for overnight efforts and asked staff to provide ward-specific lists for targeted cleanup. Directors agreed to follow up on outreach and on creating public-facing guidance about reporting outages.