Subject:
Title
Request approval of purchase of upgraded water meter reading equipment.
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EXPLANATION AND SUMMARY:
The Meter Reading Division of the Water and Sewer Department uses touch read equipment for reading of water meters. The existing equipment consists of a system of 3 handheld readers and 3 handheld touch-read devices which were purchased in 2006.
The existing equipment has a number of issues that will be addressed with this proposed upgrade:
* Existing software has not been updated in 3 years and is not be compatible with an operating system above Windows 7 32-bit. New software is fully supported and compatible with current operating systems including Windows 10.
* Existing handhelds are not compatible with the new Utility Billing software.
* Existing handheld touch reader requires bending over at each meter to obtain a reading, which must then be entered by hand into the handheld reader. The new system will eliminate bending over and eliminate key entry error by transmitting the reading via Bluetooth from the touch read device to the reader.
* With only 3 existing handheld readers, staff is unable to send equipment out for routine maintenance and battery changes because of almost constant use of the equipment. Having an extra handheld will allow for routine scheduled maintenance and the ability to have another staff person assist in reading meters during busy times.
* The existing handheld readers are no longer manufactured and inventory of replacement parts is limited.
In addition, with the upgrade to a new utility billing software system, an upgraded meter reading system will help ensure the conversion goes smoothly.
Elecsys Corporation is our maintenance and technical support provider for the existing equipment. They've provided us a quote for 4 hand held meter readers, including a trade-in offer for our current equipment, a free software upgrade and 15 months of free technical support, totaling $27,290.
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