Osage Beach board directs staff to draft ordinance to sunset "ghost meter" program
July 17, 2026 | Osage Beach, Camden County, Missouri
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The Osage Beach Board of Aldermen on Thursday directed staff to prepare the ordinance changes necessary to sunset the city's "ghost meter" program, a long-running option that allowed property owners to reserve future water hookups by paying a monthly fee.
City staff explained that ghost meters were created during earlier water-extension projects so owners who delayed hookup could secure future water rights by paying a monthly charge instead of the full upfront impact fee. City staff said there are currently 119 active ghost-meter accounts that generate roughly $42,000 a year. At current rates, staff said, a standard residential hookup would cost $1,460, and most ghost meters are 0.625-inch accounts that historically billed about $28 per month.
"We currently have 119 active ghost meter accounts and those generate about $42,000 annually," said April White, the interim city administrator, as she described staff's recommendation to sunset the program. Staff proposed that existing accounts in good standing would retain their recorded water rights indefinitely and that future hookup fees for those accounts would be waived under the sunset plan.
Board members asked about revenue and record-keeping. Alderman Rucker said he recalled a larger figure and asked whether past estimates showed $80,000 in ghost-meter income; staff responded that earlier numbers appear to have been miscalculated and that payments, hookups and waivers over time explain the difference.
Alderman George said many constituents were confused about the original program and supported the recommendation to discontinue it. Board members discussed how staff would document meter size and parcel records so future hookups reflected the original reserved meter capacity rather than allowing customers to claim a larger size without paying the differential.
Mayor Ross and other aldermen said budget adjustments could make up the projected $40,000 shortfall caused by sunsetting the program, including modest rate changes if necessary. The board voted to direct staff to draft the ordinance language and return with proposed changes.
Staff will prepare the specific ordinance, including recordkeeping by parcel and the mechanics for preserving existing rights, and bring the proposal back to the board for formal readings and a vote.
City staff explained that ghost meters were created during earlier water-extension projects so owners who delayed hookup could secure future water rights by paying a monthly charge instead of the full upfront impact fee. City staff said there are currently 119 active ghost-meter accounts that generate roughly $42,000 a year. At current rates, staff said, a standard residential hookup would cost $1,460, and most ghost meters are 0.625-inch accounts that historically billed about $28 per month.
"We currently have 119 active ghost meter accounts and those generate about $42,000 annually," said April White, the interim city administrator, as she described staff's recommendation to sunset the program. Staff proposed that existing accounts in good standing would retain their recorded water rights indefinitely and that future hookup fees for those accounts would be waived under the sunset plan.
Board members asked about revenue and record-keeping. Alderman Rucker said he recalled a larger figure and asked whether past estimates showed $80,000 in ghost-meter income; staff responded that earlier numbers appear to have been miscalculated and that payments, hookups and waivers over time explain the difference.
Alderman George said many constituents were confused about the original program and supported the recommendation to discontinue it. Board members discussed how staff would document meter size and parcel records so future hookups reflected the original reserved meter capacity rather than allowing customers to claim a larger size without paying the differential.
Mayor Ross and other aldermen said budget adjustments could make up the projected $40,000 shortfall caused by sunsetting the program, including modest rate changes if necessary. The board voted to direct staff to draft the ordinance language and return with proposed changes.
Staff will prepare the specific ordinance, including recordkeeping by parcel and the mechanics for preserving existing rights, and bring the proposal back to the board for formal readings and a vote.
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