Council Approves Automated Meters

— Residents will begin seeing the new meters between August and October, said Travis Matlock, city engineering director. The city will cut power to the home for about five minutes while meters are swapped, he said. If residents have an emergency situation requiring constant electricity, the city will work to make sure their needs are met, he said.

The meters will enable customers to access use data via the Internet, while the city can easily spot water leaks or power outages. Matlock said the system should be phased in within six to nine months.

Ryan Parks, Ward 2 alderman, was the lone vote against the agreement. He said after the meeting he wasn’t comfortable with how much money the city will lose scrapping old meters and the incurred annual cost of operation.

“The $6.5 million is a little more excessive than what I can stomach,” Parks said.

Bill Burckart, an alderman, also expressed concern about scrapping meters that still have years of use left. Matlock said he’s working with the meter supplier to find a buyer for the meters.

The council also approved an agreement with software company SunGard Public Sector to integrate the city’s billing services with the new meters.

In other business, the council heard a quarterly report from Ed Clifford, president of Bentonville/Bella Vista Chamber of Commerce. He said the chamber is working on four projects with the Northwest Arkansas Council that could add up to an investment of more than $1.5 billion and bring 3,000 to 3,500 jobs to the area.

“We are on the upswing again,” Clifford said.

Hadi Dudley, city library director, gave the library’s annual report to the council. She said checkouts of electronic books are increasing dramatically and bringing many adults back into reading.

Ed Austin, Ward 1 alderman, said he’s happy to see the library’s progress over the past several years.

“I had no idea what a library could mean for a community,” Austin said. “This has been an education for me.”

At A Glance

Yard Of The Month

Mayor Bob McCaslin honored the first winners of the city’s Yard of the Month program. Marilyn and Bob Bogle won for their residence at 703 Jefferson St. and for Bogle Park just north and across the street from their home. Superior Auto Group on Southeast Moberly Lane won for the commercial division.

Source: Staff Report

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