HomeMy WebLinkAbout01/27/1998 COW minutes MINUTES
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE
J^.UAR¥27, 998
I. ~
In the absence of Mayor Farley, Village Manager Michael Janonis called the
meeting to order at 7:37 p.m. Present at the meeting were: Trustees George
Clowes, Timothy Corcoran, Paul Hoefert, Richard Lohrstorfer and Daniel Nocchi.
Absent from the meeting were Mayor Farley and Trustee,~J~lrvana Wilks. Staff
present included: Village Manager Michael Janonis, Assistant~' Village Manager
David Strahl, Public Works Director Glen Andler, Deputy Public Works Director
Sean Dorsey and Water/Sewer Superintendent Rory O'Donovan.
Motion made by Trustee Hoefert to temporarily appoint Trustee Corcoran as Mayor
Pro Tem for the meeting. Seconded by Trustee Nocchi. The vote was unanimous.
I1. MINUTES
Approval of Minutes of January 13, 1998, Motion made by Trustee Hoefert and
Seconded by Trustee Nocchi to accept the Minutes. Members voted unanimously
to accept the Minutes. Trustee Clowes abstained.
III,CITIZENS TO BE HEARD
None.
IV. AUTOMATED METER READING UPDATE-FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS
Public Works Director Glen Andler Introduced Water/Sewer Superintendent
Rory O'Donovan. Mr. O'Donovan provided general background conceming
automatic meter reading or (AMR). He said there are two types of automatic meter
reading; the drive-by meter reading and the phone line down load meter reading.
He stated that automatic meter reading and the return postcards for residential
customers have eliminated actual meter reading routes. He stated the return rate
on the residential postcards is approximately 95%. He said meters are typically
tested on a 10-15 year cycle. However, residential customers' meters are replaced
after ten years to minimize disruption to the residents in order to make two
appointments to take care of the meter for repair.
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He stated the Illinois Department of Natural Resources allows for an 8%
unaccounted water flow. The Village averages approximately 6% annually. He
stated that once every four years residential meters are read manually by Public
Works personnel, Therefore, the recovery rate for the amount of water which is
billed is high enough to illustrate that the postcard system for residential customers
is working very well. The meters that are attached to the phone lines have created
some problems in the past pdmadlY due to conflicts on phone line use and with the
increasingly popular use of modems in the homes, this conflict will undoubtedly
continue. He stated the ddve-by meters use radio frequencies and are quite
expensive when compared to the phone dial-in meters. He stated the mixed use
of these two types of meters and the postcard system has worked extremely well
in minimizing the overall cost of maintaining the program. He would recommend the
postcard system continue and the Village not invest any additional funds in the two
types of automatic meter reading unless it is for larger water users, where
experience has shown such investment to be more worthwhile than residential
users.
General comments from the Village Board members included the following items:
There was a bdef discussion concerning the actual cost of the postcard system to
the Village compared to the actual cost of an employee to handle such meter
reading activities and related duties. There were also a number of comments about
the average unaccounted water loss of 6%. This average loss amounts to
approximately 6.5 million gallons. Trustees had questioned whether it is possible
for residential customers to dial into the Village's computer in the near future to
report water readings.
Village Manager Michael Janonis stated that the current system of self-reporting
is cost efficient and the installation of the automatic meter reading devices in all
single-family homes would amount to approximately $1.5 million not including
installation costs. He also wanted to advise the Village Board about staff results of
this experiment. He stated that it is clear that the investment in technology may not
work in this situation.
Consensus of the Village Board was to support staff recommendation to stop
Installing automatic meter reading devices unless the water user is a
significant customer which would typically be a commercial or Industrial user.
Continuation of the postcard system for self reporting for residential water
customers was also endorsed for continuation.
V. VILLAGE MANAGER'S REPORT
None.
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I. ANY OTHER BUSINESS
Trustee Clowes welcomed a number of new businesses to Mount Prospect. He
also stated that TAP Mount Prospect held a Youth Forum at Randhurst the night
before and wanted to thank Randhurst, Mount Prospect TV Channel 17 and the
Sunrise Rotary for their assistance.
vii.
There being no further business discussed, the Committee of the Whole meeting
adjourned at 8:10 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
DAVID STRAHL
Assistant Village Manager
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