Feb. 22—JAMESTOWN — The Jamestown City Council will consider an extra fee on utility bills for residences and businesses that aren’t attempting to schedule a water meter replacement.
The Jamestown Public Works Committee unanimously approved on Thursday, Feb. 21, sending a fourth and fifth mailed notice to schedule a water meter replacement to residences and businesses.
In related business, the Jamestown Finance and Legal Committee discussed adding an extra fee on utility bills for noncompliance with scheduling the water meter replacement. The committee unanimously approved without recommendation putting the topic on the Jamestown City Council’s agenda on March 3.
“We do need to get people’s attention, and that’s what we want is for them to call and set up their appointments,” Mayor Dwaine Heinrich said.
The water meter replacement project began in 2024. Jamestown residents received a letter last summer to schedule an appointment to get their water meters replaced. Second and third notices were sent to those who didn’t schedule an appointment.
Heinrich said noncompliance is costing the city money. The City Council already approved a change order on Feb. 3 for about $3,400 for additional outreach for water meter installations.
“We want you to cooperate, but if you don’t, we’re going to have no choice that … certainly, we don’t want to get to the point where we have to shut people’s water off or anything like that,” he said. ” … As far as I’m concerned, whatever it takes to get that done, that’s what we’re going to have to do eventually.”
City Engineer Travis Dillman said noncompliance means those accounts that have not attempted to schedule a water meter replacement. He said the city would not consider it to be noncompliant if accounts are waiting for a plumber to resolve plumbing issues.
He said the primary plumbing issue is residences that don’t have an operable valve in the house to shut off the water.
Old water meters are being replaced with radio-read water meters. The old water meters were installed in the 1940s, ’50s or ’60s and didn’t give accurate readings on how much water is being used.
Once the new water meters are installed, city staff will be able to read the meters from City Hall.
Dillman said the fourth mailed notice could be sent out next week and the fifth notice would be sent out after the City Council meeting on Monday, March 3.
He said about 81% of the water meter replacement project is complete. He said the city of Jamestown has 721 accounts that have not scheduled a water meter replacement.
“There’s about 14% that still have not been scheduled and 5% are roughly people that are trying but waiting for a plumber,” he said.
VEPO — the subcontractor installing the water meters — wants to make sure enough water meter replacements are scheduled before coming back to Jamestown, Dillman said.
The fourth mailed notice says failure to comply will result in further action as authorized by the City Council.
“This action may include a monetary increase to your utility bill and would be enforced until the water meter replacement is scheduled with Ferguson/VEPO,” the notice says.
Under city ordinance, residents are required to provide access to city-authorized personnel to complete the water meter replacement, the notice says.
Section 30-14 of the city code says an owner, tenant or occupant of any premise that is getting water or sewer service from the city shall permit the city engineer or other city-authorized personnel to enter the building to examine water or sewer pipes or fixtures and to turn off the water either inside or outside of the building whenever for any cause or purpose deemed necessary.
“And at the end of the day, the ordinance is clear that this is 100% of the people have to comply with this,” Dillman said.
Councilman David Schloegel said he is in favor of a fee for noncompliant residences and businesses.
“It’s something where if you add a fee onto the water bill that’s going to catch your attention,” he said. ” … As far as what that amount is, it could be a flat fee … maybe we can come up with some sort of multiplier where just whatever you’re paying, it’s multiplied by a certain amount.”
Dillman said other communities have added a fee to the utility bill to get 100% compliance for a water meter replacement project. He said a $125-per-month fee for a community in Michigan resulted in 40% to 50% more compliance for a water meter replacement project.
Dillman said it takes about 15 to 20 minutes for VEPO to replace the water meter.
The fourth mailed notice says evening and weekend appointments are available upon request.
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