Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, May 29, 1993 TAG: 9305290210
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PULASKI LENGTH: Medium
Councilman Andy Graham told the other council members, sitting as the Finance Committee at a budget work session Friday morning, that neighboring Wytheville is changing all its meters to the electronic versions.
They can be read quickly by instrument and the data put into town computers.
"Wytheville projects that they can recover all their costs in about three years," Graham said.
"I'd be interested in finding out how they did that," Mayor Gary Hancock said.
Assistant Town Manager Rob Lyons said Pulaski has to repair or adjust an average of 35 of its mechanical meters each month. It costs $250 to calibrate a meter.
Mechanical meters tend to slow down over time, he said, resulting in billings lower than they should be.
Lyons said there is 25 percent more water used than billed. Part of that can be explained by leaks in the system, but not all, he said.
The water fund will be running a deficit by August. Because 85 percent of its revenue comes from the sale of water, an increase in rates is no longer avoidable.
"This council refuses to face the fact that the service we're providing the people is for less than the revenue we're getting," Graham said.
At its last work session, the committee voted 5-3 to recommend to council at Tuesday's meeting that a consultant be hired to look into rate structures and other water issues.
Don Crispin had proposed a rate increase on Wednesday that would be for all billing levels except the two lowest ones. He said Friday that those two would have included most homeowners, so they would have avoided a rate increase if his plan had been adopted.
Even that would have left a $5,000 deficit, he said, but that could have been made up.
by CNB