Water department proposes smart meters and a customer portal; staff cite improved leak detection and customer service

The water utility team proposed expanding advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) and launching an online customer portal to reduce late‑notice work, improve leak detection, and give customers real‑time usage visibility.

John Kaufman (Director of Water Utilities) and Danielle Ricks (Assistant Director) said discontinuing printed late‑payment orange‑card notices and relying on digital notifications could be implemented in about two months and would let field crews focus on backlog tasks such as leak reports.

Danielle described a customer portal that would provide real‑time usage, leak alerts, bilingual support and self‑service account features. The vendor estimate cited in the presentation: approximately $200,000 initial setup and $175,000 recurring annually. Staff said the portal could reduce labor costs currently estimated at about $360,000 by automating routine inquiries and lowering overtime needs, but the exact net budget impact requires more analysis of attrition and redeployment.

Health and safety questions: Council members asked about radio/signal and fire‑risk concerns tied to AMI radios. Staff said they were not aware of scientific evidence showing health risks from AMI radio equipment and that the meters are typically installed outdoors in meter pits rather than inside homes; staff agreed to research fire‑hazard and electromagnetic‑emission questions further before broader rollout.

Representative quote: "We believe the printing and hand delivery of orange card late payment notices should be discontinued," John told council.

Ending note: Staff said the policy change would be brought back to council with a proposed ordinance and implementation plan; comments recommended a return presentation with anticipated net fiscal impact and cybersecurity vetting.