Tinley Park Could Ditch Vexed Water Meters: Tribune

Tinley Park officials are considering doing away with the village’s controversial water meters with a plan that will cost $6.5 million to do so.

Officials are expected to detail how the Village would remove and replace the smart meters that have been the subject of scrutiny after reports of faulty readings and over-billing. The Chicago Tribune reports the plan will be discussed during a special committee meeting Tuesday night. Trustees must approve the plan before it could be set in motion.

How It Would Work

• $6.5 million: The amount the Village would borrow to swap out 18,263 meters with new meters that are the “highest quality meter available in the marketplace.”
• $396,000 a year for 20 years: How much the low-interest loan would cost the Village.
• 18 to 24 months: How long it would take to replace the meters.

The Public Works Department considered a $1 million blanket refund to all customers, but ultimately decided that would be too expensive a fix for the Village, with Public Works Director Bill Balling noting there’s “no evidence to support that the entire fleet of digital meters are malfunctioning.”

The monetary damage might be the least of the Village’s concerns, as residents’ faith in officials has sunk amidst the scandal, which also led to the abrupt resignation of then-Public Works Director Dale Schepers. One resident in August filed a lawsuit against the Village. Officials hired a consultant that issued a report many called “biased” and incomplete. In that report, consultant West Monroe Partners claimed there was “no systemic meter overbilling for water use” and the term meter spinning had been “inconsistently and inaccurately applied” to describe mechanical problems with the meters. Officials stand by the report.

The consultant also recommended random testing of the meters—something Village Manager Dave Niemeyer has balked at due to how it might interfere with the Village’s defense in a lawsuit.

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