The Aberdeen City Council has approved the first of multiple planned purchases of water meter equipment this year.
The council met in regular session Tuesday, Feb. 20 at the Municipal Building. One of about a half dozen items up for consideration was the $52,929 purchase of water meter equipment from Metering and Technology Solutions in Burnsville, Minn.
The equipment is for the first phase of upgrades in technology for water meters reaching the end of their lives. Public Works Director Stu Nelson said current meters transmit user data on a radio frequency that is collected by a city employee who drives through the entire community. But, he said, the meters are using old technology and need to be updated.
“They’re going to start to fail in the next two to three years,” he said.
So, Nelson said, the city is going to slowly purchase new water meters with the intent of having close to 10,000 replaced in the next five to seven years.
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About $250,000 is budgeted for equipment purchases this year, he said after the meeting. That means more equipment will be bought in 2024.
Monthly service fees kick in on the new water meters after a short grace period, so smaller batches of meters will be purchased as time passes.
Tuesday’s action allows for 530 water meters to be bought.
City Manager Robin Bobzien said the monthly service fee has been about $1 per meter. That doesn’t sound like much until you take into consideration the nearly 10,000 meters throughout the city. The service fee has dropped by about half in recent years, he said, and is now closer to 50 cents per month.
Nelson said the person who now drives around town collecting meter readings will move into a service position as the number of meter readings decreases.
The equipment will better monitor water use and detect leaks. Nelson said residents can use an app to track their water use and receive alerts if abnormally high water use is detected.
Council approves resolution amending plat approval process
The council also approved a resolution giving the community development director authority to approve certain plats without the need for review by the city council and planning commission.
Plats have been subject to approval first by the city planning commission and then by the city council. The process has rarely been called into question, but it takes time to get on meeting agendas for both entities. Sometimes approval from both takes 30 days.
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The new process, proposed by Community Development Director Ken Hubbard earlier this year, should streamline the process. It gives the council the authority to designate some or all plat approvals to Hubbart through a resolution. It would apply to about 75% of city plats, he said.
The resolution allows for the approval of:
- Replats of existing parcels and development lots.
- Plats involving land amounting to less than 10 acres.
- Corrective plats.
In other action, the council:
- Approved the appointment of Spencer Sommers as an alternate board member to the Board of Zoning Adjustment.
- Approved a $19,030 change order decreasing an airport contract based on materials used; four payments to Helms & Associates totaling $49,162 and two payments to Reede Construction totaling $155,905 for work at the Aberdeen Regional Airport.