Glenview officials said residents whose water meters are wired to analog remote readers and whose meters and readers are giving different readings will not be charged for the difference while those units are replaced by new digital meters.
Village trustees unanimously approved on Oct. 20 a resolution to waive any discrepancies between how much water is registered by the meters inside a residence and that from remote readers attached to a building’s exterior, even though village code holds the customer responsible for all water registered by the meter.
Of the village’s approximately 16,000 water meters, officials said one-fourth, or 4,060, have these analog remotes. Discrepancies in readings – where the interior meter registers more water used than the exterior analog reader – are popping up in about one of every three being replaced, officials said.
“This difference is due to the analog remote slowing down over time either due to a faulty wiring connection or the slow failure of the mechanical components in the analog remote device,” a Glenview village staff report said. “The result is that the customer is under-billed for water that flowed through the actual meter inside the building and was consumed by the consumer.”
This is a one-time waiver that applies only to water customers whose analog meters and remotes are being replaced by the new digital meters as part of the $7.3 million “Advanced Metering Infrastructure” program, officials said.
The analog remote readers installed before 2004 were attached to buildings’ exteriors, with a wire connecting it to the meter inside, officials said. This allowed meter-readers to get their information without having to enter a home or commercial building.
The other three-quarters of Glenview’s water meters are electronic, according to village data, which also shows the village has installed electronic meters since 2004.
Officials say all existing meters are being replaced by digital meters that will automatically transmit usage data via radio antennas that activate for less than a minute per day, thus negating the need for village employees to come around for in-person readings.
Village Manager Todd Hileman said at least two residents have already refused to accept the transmitters, citing health concerns about radio transmissions.
Trustees informally concurred with officials’ recommendations to not force people to take the transmitters if they don’t want them, but instead charge them $73.75 per quarter ($295 annually) to have a village employee come take in-person readings.
“This is an olive branch to people who really believe this is something harmful,” Hileman said.
Trustees also agreed to raise the fees for testing water meters’ accuracy.
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Currently, the village will disconnect a meter upon request and send it to a third party for testing, officials said, and if the meter is accurate, a $25 fee is added to the customer’s next water bill; if it isn’t, no fee is assessed.
But that $25 doesn’t come close to covering costs, officials said.
Under the new proposal, the fee for off-site water meter tests would be $84.43 plus costs for a replacement meter. Tested meters are not re-installed. On-site test fees for larger meters would rise to between $200 and $280, depending on meter size plus replacement costs.
Jon Davis is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.