Culver Utility Superintendent Bob Porter asked the town council members for permission to upgrade the meter reading software to a radio read program and purchase new water meters.
To upgrade all of the water meters in town, it would cost over $130,000 which is not available in the budget. Porter asked to use the balance in the SRF fund in the water department budget to get the initial software, equipment and 650 water meters at a cost of $105,000.
Porter added that this would help speed up the meter reading process as crews would be able to drive down the street and gather data immediately onto a laptop computer within a few hours. Now, the crew members take two days to walk to each house to take meter readings.
He asked to phase in meters at residences as there is not the initial up-front cost available to buy all 1,200 meters to service users. Porter could incorporate the cost into his budget each year to add meters to homes annually until all new meters are installed.
The council members decided to wait to act on the purchase until the next meeting so council members can have a chance to talk to Porter and Town Manager Jonathan Leist about the proposal.
