cover
TO: Mayor Thomas J. Weisner
FROM: Beatrice Torres, Assistant Finance Director of Water Billing
DATE: October 3, 2014
SUBJECT:
Resolution to Accept the Proposal of United Meters, Inc., Morris, Illinois for the 2014 Water Meter and Reading Device Change-Out Program.
PURPOSE:
To obtain the City Council's approval of a proposed resolution that would permit the execution of a contract with United Meters, Inc., to replace residential and commercial water meters and reading devices in the City.
BACKGROUND:
The City conducted a meter and reading device change-out over 10 years ago. The radio-read devices that were installed over 10 years ago are highly efficient. Customer Service Workers can almost instantaneously obtain many readings in a large geographical area by simply activating a computerized receiver unit within a specified distance of that area. Customer Service Workers need not enter a building to obtain a reading or even approach the building. Inclement weather has little impact upon the ability of the Customer Service Worker to obtain readings.
The batteries in the Sensus RadioRead Meter Transceiver Units (MXUs) that were installed over 10 years ago are expiring/have expired and there is an urgent need for all older model reading devices to be replaced with the new SmartPoint reading devices. Also, the older model meters will need to be replaced with the new iPerl meters because the reading accuracy of the older model meters has deteriorated over the years. As reading accuracy declines, the meters do not measure all usage and amounts due are understated.
The amount of estimated reads for Water Billing customers is slowly increasing to 3-4 estimates for the past few billing periods due to the large amount of MXU reading device batteries expiring. Although the Water Meter Maintenance Division has continued to do some "change-out" projects, the staffing of the division is insufficient to permit it to undertake a program to...
Click here for full text