By ALBERT VILLEGAS
Special to the NEWS
The City of San Benito will install new residential water meters in strategic areas as part of a $25,000 pilot program. If the pilot proves successful after four months, the city could expand it to the entire city, including commercial properties.
The city’s finance department introduced the pilot program, and after an in-depth discussion with the San Benito City Commissioners during a regular meeting this month, the commissioners unanimously agreed to move forward.
Within the next few weeks, the city will begin paying for the installation of 50 meters, some in problematic areas, according to the finance department.
“We want to evaluate the technology, accuracy, reliability, connectivity, and overall sustainability of the city’s water distribution system,” City of San Benito Finance Director Stephanie Sarrionandia said. “The pilot program allows the city staff to obtain the meter readings from the office.”
Sarrionandia told commissioners during their meeting that among the 7,200 account holders, some properties are difficult for the city’s meter readers to access for various reasons, including heavy vegetation and limited access to the meters.
These are among the properties she would like to target first.
Of the three companies that approached her about the four-month pilot program, Badger Meter, based in Katy, Texas, provided more details about its cellular-based meter equipment; the cost to begin the program was also much lower. The others cost between $38,000 and $48,000.
According to Badger Meter, it will supply the city with 50 bronze, twist-tight meters at $405 each, totaling $20,250. Meter installation is $100 per meter, for a total of $5,000.
The meeting lasted about 40 minutes, and each commissioner discussed the current water-usage measurement process, which sometimes involves estimation, and how the new precision could change city business moving forward.
San Benito Mayor Pete Galvan told Sarrionandia that city staff need to tread carefully when explaining the process and the results once the meters are installed and Badger Meter provides training for city employees.
“In talking to these folks, the question is whether it improves accuracy, and it does, because we have a huge water loss (now). With that, bills will increase. I want to make sure we communicate that to account holders where these are being installed,” Mayor Galvan said. “You’re going to have a new meter. There’s going to be a learning curve for both (city and citizens). The difficult part is explaining to them that this is your actual consumption. Over the past few years, we have been under-reading. There’s going to be an argument on their side as well, so we have to be careful how we approach that.”
The pilot program allows the city to read meters using a cellular device up to three times a day. When answering Place 3 Commissioner Victor M. Gonzalez’s question about accuracy, Sarrionandia said readings could be off by a tenth of a gallon. If the city moves forward with the program early next year, it will include a 10-year warranty.
CITY’S FUTURE WITH METER READING
Sarrionandia said the pilot program through January 2027 is being funded by the current fiscal year budget, and the San Benito Meter Reading Department has funds to support it. These funds would normally be used to purchase additional meters. Badger Meter would provide installation training.
Sarrionandia said the city would always need manpower to complete work orders, connections, and/or disconnections. The city would also need at least two meter readers in the future.
If the commissioners allow, the city could purchase more in next year’s fiscal year budget. She said the city could also host events to teach citizens how to use the devices and explore grants once the new water meter program is established. Citizens would have the option to use a portal that lets them download an app and view their actual meter readings and water consumption.
The city has exactly 7,269 meters on record, but the city is growing with the introduction of new subdivisions. Commissioners also heard that a new ordinance would have to be created stating that the upfront cost or installation for a water meter be paid.
The current cost to install a new water meter is $300. After the pilot program concludes, the cost per meter would be $0.97.
Regarding manpower, Sarrionandia said it might reduce the number of meter readers in the future. However, someone would still need to generate work orders for connections and/or reconnections, or for meter tampering.
She said that ideally, the city would still have two meter readers in the future.
Once the city has the software installed, an account holder would be able to receive an alert on an account holder’s cellphone.
“This is a good start for trying new technology. This is what we are really aiming for. We can avoid buying older (outdated) equipment,” Sarrionandia said.
Responding to Place 1 Commissioner Ricardo Perez, Jr., and Mayor Pro Tem Jose E. Navarro, Sarronandia said Brownsville is the other municipality that already has a similar program, and San Benito has an ordinance requiring meters to be inside a property’s fence line.
However, some account holders have alleys and dense vegetation, which attract snakes and create potentially harmful situations for city workers.
She also said that when a reading is not obtained, the city will not go more than two months without reading a meter. An estimate is then billed. In the third month, a city worker will begin knocking on doors to speak with the resident.
San Benito City Manager Carlos Yerena said the pilot program would not only lay the groundwork for better service but also create the potential for funding to purchase more meters in the future.
“The goal is to be more efficient and more accurate,” Yerena said.
Commissioner Gonzalez moved to approve the pilot program, and Commissioner Perez seconded.