$5M bond approved for meter replacements
RUSSELLVILLE — Electric board members have approved a $5 million bond to purchase a new electric metering system for the city.
General Manager Derrick Moore said the utility must upgrade because support for its current meter software is being discontinued. He said the new Advanced Metering Infrastructure system will let utility workers “identify and pinpoint outages quicker, so we can respond faster.”
He said the new system will allow the utility to accommodate potential future time-of-use rate structures being considered by TVA.
Under time-of-use rates, electricity can cost different amounts depending on when it is used.
“We have to have these meters in place [in the event we need] to bill for that,” he said.
Moore said the cost of replacing the meters would not result in increased rates for customers.
In other business, board members approved a change to the employee residency policy, allowing employees to live up to 30 minutes away rather than 15 minutes away.
