Utility staff told the Pataskala City Utility Committee that the city plans an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) upgrade and has placed a resolution on the council consent agenda to send the project out to bid.

"I met with American StructurePoint on Wednesday to go over the bid book," Utility staff said, describing revisions to bid wording and the project scope. Staff said a contractor would install up to 1,500 cellular readers initially and that the system will give the billing team "instant access" to meter reads for leak detection and alarms. "This is going to send the meter reads directly to the office," the staff member said.

Committee members asked about longevity and operating cost. Utility staff said the readers have an estimated 20-year lifespan and that there will be a small monthly cellular fee. The staff member estimated the fee at about $0.95 per meter per month for the first 1,000 meters, dropping to about $0.88 up to 3,500 meters, but said they would confirm the exact amounts with the vendor.

Staff said Pataskala currently has roughly 3,700 water accounts and that the contractor will install the most difficult locations first; city crews would complete the remainder over multiple years, possibly up to five years. "Initially, we're gonna eat that cost," Utility staff said when asked whether the monthly fee would be passed to customers.

The committee did not vote on the project at the meeting; staff said the resolution authorizing the bid is on tonight's consent agenda for the council to consider. The committee discussed potential operational benefits, including faster leak detection and reduced labor for meter reading, and asked staff to confirm final fee figures before council action.

What happens next: the resolution to put the AMI upgrade out to bid will appear on the council consent agenda; staff will confirm final pricing and return with cost and implementation details if council approves the procurement.