By Rebecca Dopp
Times-News Correspondent
With Mona, Nephi and Levan Irrigation Company on board to use the Sensus auto meter read system, Levan decided to sign an agreement with those three entities that will spell out each of the financial responsibilities for this new system of reading the utilities.
Mayor Bob Shepherd said that the agreement states that the initial purchase cost will be bore 25% by each entity. That would mean Levan’s share would be roughly $30,000-$40,000. After the installation phase, the maintenance, operation and equipment costs will be bore by the number of end units, or number of readings.
“Levan Town has about 900,” said Shepherd. “They’ll pay their percentage of that.”
If Levan needs to put in a booster tower in town (the original tower will be on a site west of Nephi), then that cost would be around $10,000 for the tower.
“It should work here,” said council member Brady Taylor of the original tower. Tests will be run after the installation process is done.
If any city decides to opt out of the agreement, the other remaining entities will have to buy them out, said Shepherd.
The council approved to sign the agreement.
Town employee Jason Worwood said that the council needed to make a decision of when to buy all the meters. He said that the most crucial is the gas meters because Mona is ready to order and if Levan goes in on the order, they can save approximately $13,000.
“The deal with Sensus is if we get an order of 500, combined [with Mona], then we’ll get free shipping and a better deal on the meters,” said Worwood. “The meters will go from $85 to $66, and the transmitters will go from $100 to $70.”
Worwood said they would need about 290 meters. Council member Brian Ercanbrack “did the math” and said that they could save about $49 per meter.
Worwood said that there is an eight-week wait period for the electric meters from CoDell. He said there wasn’t much of a price difference if they bought now or later, but thought that if the company knew Levan was going to commit to the project, then they might keep several in stock and could be bought as needed.
There is no price change on the water meters whether the town buys one or all of them at one time, said Worwood. He said that the cost for a new meter, with transmitter and lid, would cost $255 each.
Shepherd said they would have to consider passing a resolution to deal with damages to the meters, specifically the water meters.
The council decided to approve the purchase of new auto read gas meters, 160 meters and 300 transmitters, for $66 and $70. Shepherd said that it would work out better if they changed out the electric and water meters at the same time, but no official motion was made.
Shepherd said that the tower should be up and running by Jan. 10.
