Tinley Park Public Works Director Suspended during Water Meter Probe: Tribune

Tinley Park has suspended Public Works Director Dale Schepers while the village is under scrutiny of its electronic SmartMeters water meters. Schepers, suspended with pay, reportedly told an independent water meter testing company to “not report if the meter passed or failed,” reports the Chicago Tribune.

Many of Tinley Park’s “smart” water meters don’t accurately record how much water a household uses, leading to significant overcharges in the hundreds of dollars, according to a Chicago Tribune investigative report, and the problem has been recurring for years.

The Tribune undertook an extensive review of village records related to the water meters, purchased by the village at a cost of $1.8 million. In its report, the Tribune noted at least 355 meters that had issued faulty readings, more more than twice the number the village told residents. When pressed about the matter of meters that passed when they should have failed, Schepers and other officials said they decided the meters didn’t need to meet national standards, post-installation.

A new document obtained by the Tribune shows that officials also reportedly nudged M.E. Simpson—a firm responsible for testing Tinley’s meters—not to note in its reports when one had failed to meet national standards. Firm president Michael Simpson said he refused the request. Since then, Simpson said Village Manager Dave Niemeyer has told Simpson to issue the reports as factually accurate as always.

“It was delving into an area where you could violate trust. It has to be unbiased because in a case where there are issues like Tinley Park has had, you want an honorable and fair third party sharing correct information with everyone so you know what the answer is and it’s fair.”

—Michael Simpson, President of M.E. Simpson, to Chicago Tribune reporters.

The Village will move quickly to hire an outside firm to audit the town’s water meter system, with hopes of selecting one by July 28. An initial report is expected by Aug. 28, followed by a final report by Oct. 28.

» Read more in the Chicago Tribune report by Gregory Pratt, Joe Mahr, and Lauren Zumbach