Water Meter
Change Out Program
The Public Services Department may be working in your
neighborhood soon. City employees are converting all residential
water meters to electronic read meters. The reason for this change
is efficiency. Currently, with most meters, the meter reader must
write the reading on a sheet of paper, turn the paper into the billing
office, and then the readings must be entered into the computer
manually. This is a very time consuming process.
With the new electronic meter reading system, all necessary customer
account information is downloaded, in a specific order, into a handheld
meter reading device. The meter reader can now take the handheld,
walk up to a house, touch the handheld to the touchpad on the outside of
the house, pull the trigger, and the meter reading is automatically
stored in the handheld. When all the accounts in the handheld have
been read, all of the readings are automatically downloaded into the
billing computer. Then, the computer calculates the bill and
prints it.
Although converting all the meters will take a couple years to
complete, once completed, reading meters every month will be much faster
and almost error free.
Note: Meter change outs must occur while the resident or a friend or
relative is home. A city employee does not have the authority to
enter a household without someone home. Appointments for
change-outs are handled through City Hall and are scheduled during
normal Public Works business hours. To schedule an appointment,
contact City Hall at 772-7657.
Also -- as these meters are converted, it is necessary to close both
valves on either side of the meter in order to remove the meter.
These valves were purchased and installed by the owner of the house or
building and must be maintained by the owner. These valves should
not leak when they are closed or opened. If the valves have not
been operated (opened and closed) in years, you probably should have
them replaced or at least have the packing replaced in them because they
may leak when we come in to convert the meter. The City is
responsible for only our meters, not the valves on either side of the
meter. If a leak should occur, it is the responsibility of the
owner to repair the valve(s).
If you have any questions regarding the meter change-out program,
please call City Hall at 772-7657.
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