07-25-11 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES CITY COUNCIL JULY 27, 2011 WATER METER REPLACEMENT PROJECT It was the consensus of the Council to consider this matter at a public hearing during the August planning cycle. The Public Works Superintendent reviewed his report dated July 21, 2011 relative to a proposed water meter replacement project for the City. The Superintendent reported that the City advertised for bids on replacing all of the city's water meters and upgrading the reading system. Pricing was requested on two options. Option A was for a drive -by radio -read system where an employee drives through the city and picks up readings from the trick. Option B was for a fixed - network system where meter readings are transmitted from each house to a data collector on the water tower and then downloaded directly onto the Utility Billing clerk's computer. Both systems call for the furnishing and installation of all meters. No City staff will be used except for emergencies and unresponsive property owners. The Superintendent reported that two bids were received, one from Dakota Supply Group representing Badger Meters and the other from Ferguson Waterworks representing Neptune Meters. A third bid was sought from Mueller systems but they did not submit a bid. The Superintendent reported that both Dakota Supply Group and Ferguson Waterworks are reputable companies and are well represented in the Twin Cities. Both have had meters in the City in the past. Badger currently has the majority of the meters in Little Canada. The Superintendent reported that the bids are as follows: Dakota Supply Ferguson Option A $572,059.16 $565,362.78 Option B $576,772.14 $698,382.50 The Superintendent noted that the bid from Dakota for Option B, a fixed - network system, is only $11,000 more than Ferguson's Option A price (drive -by system). The Superintendent outlined the tremendous customer service capabilities that the fixed- network system would provide. It would allow staff to stay out front of potential water leaks in homes and notify property owners before the leak gets out of hand. It can also detect stopped meters or meters that have been tampered with. The drive -by system would offer some of these features, but they would only be accessible once per quarter rather than on a daily basis. Both systems will greatly simplify billing procedures, especially in terms of final readings. The data can be uploaded to the billing system and bills generated. Currently, the City 13