Council approves AMI equipment purchase, aldermen press for rollout and equity details

The City Council approved an ordinance authorizing purchase of advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) equipment for the Office of Public Utilities in an amount not to exceed $12,799,831.51 for a 15-year term.

Alderman Gregory pressed public-utilities staff for details about the rollout and minority participation goals. "I didn't see any minority participation goals...if one of these six bidders had that information available for us," Gregory said, asking whether staff could provide mapping and participation metrics. Public-utilities staff (Scott Rogers) said tonight's ordinances cover equipment only; installation labor will come in a later ordinance, and rollout will occur in pockets aligned with billing cycles rather than a single contiguous neighborhood.

Council members also asked about funding; staff said the purchase will be paid from cash generated by a prior bond refinance. Aldermen were told more detailed presentations are scheduled for the utility meeting on Aug. 25, when staff will discuss mapping, timing and other implementation details.

The ordinance passed on consent after brief debate; aldermen requested that minority participation goals and a clearer funding and rollout plan be included in the Aug. 25 staff presentation.