Residents press water fixes and smart meters as potential CDBG/SSP priorities

Multiple residents described longstanding concerns with the town's water system and billing. "The water is bad, the past 7 years my dog doesn’t even drink the water," resident Frances Mock said, adding that older pipes showed rust. Another resident said monthly bills average about $85 and expressed the burden on low-income households.

Town Manager Suzanne Harvey responded that the town posts a consumer report and submits required testing to the state, stating the results show the system meets testing requirements: "We have a consumer report online. While it's tested and the testing is sent to ADQ every year and we pass, so you may not like the taste of it but I don't want you even to go around here, leave here thinking our water is not safe because that is untrue." SEAGO staff suggested options including targeted water-main replacement, a meter-replacement program (smart meters that read by hundreds of gallons) and using State Special Projects funds to pay for engineering and assessments ahead of construction.