City set to go forward with outsourcing utilities billing, new meters
By LYNETTE SOWELL
Cove Leader-Press
Copperas Cove utility customers could have new water meters and new ways to access their bills via a company that will take care of utility customer service, by October 1.
At tonight's Copperas Cove city council meeting, city manager Andrea Gardner is presenting a request to the city council for authorization of a Software As A Service Agreement with Fathom Water Management, Inc. The implementation fee is $7 million, $5,910,139 of which would be used to replace all water meters for city residents and businesses, along with installing a computerized account management system and advanced metering infrastructure. Fathom would also institute a software as service fee to the city of $1.75 per managed utility account per month along with a managed services monthly fee of $2.57 per account. Those fees to the city could be increased annually each October 1, with the earliest being Oct. 1, 2017.
This agreement with Fathom would only go forward if the council also approves the financing of the $7,000,000 implementation with series 2016 Certificates of Obligation.
At the city council planning session on April 7, Gardner told the council part of the reasoning for this system is to help ease the workload at the city's utilities administration office, which can receive hundreds of phone calls per day in addition to walk-in customers. However, several utilities employees would also need to be reassigned to other positions in other city departments, as the plan with Fathom would reduce the need for employees in the utilities department. There would still be a brick-and-mortar office for utility services.
On the consent agenda for tonight's meeting, the council is being asked to approve the emergency purchase of repairs for a sewer line located between Robert Griffin III Drive and Constitution Drive, along with an emergency purchase of repairs at the Northwest Wastewater Treatment Plant lift station.
The sewer line repair will cost an estimated $48,985 for an exposed sewer line which was brought to the attention of LAN Engineering, the city's contracted engineering company. Severe rainfall eroded the area around the sewer line, which according to the map is located in The Narrows business park.
Rainfall is also to blame for the damage at the lift station, of which the dry well flooded, damaging the pumps. The estimated cost to repair and replace damaged parts is between $21,000-$25,000.
For action items, the council is being asked to approve an agreement between the Copperas Cove EDC and the Heart of Texas Defense Alliance (HOTDA).
The council is also being asked to approve an ordinance for the city to approve a negotiated settlement between the Atmos Cities Steering Committee (ACSC) and Atmos Energy Corporation, Mid-Tex regarding the Company's 2016 Rate Review Mechanism filings.
The city is asking the council to approve a resolution related to the giving of notice of intention to issue City of Copperas Cove, Texas, Combination Tax and Revenue Certificates of Obligation, Series 2016, and also to approve another resolution which repeals resolution 2016-19, previously approved on May 3. This previous resolution didn't include the $7 million Fathom water utility project costs.
Concerning the planned work on Avenue D, the council is being asked to authorize the city manager to include an Avenue D drainage project in the city's Capital Improvements Plan, as well as provide funding for the Avenue D drainage project in the fiscal year 2016 budget through a budget amendment and authorize the execution of a Professional Services Agreement with BSP Engineers. This drainage project is projected to cost around $140,000 by BSP Engineers and will be funded through the city's drainage fund.
The city is also asking the council to approve the cancellation of the current water purchase contract it has with Cedar Grove Mobile Home Park, and authorizing the city manager to execute a revised water purchase contract with the park.
The council will also receive the financial report for March 2016 from Joe Newman, Interim Executive Director of the Copperas Cove Chamber of Commerce.
An executive session is set for this evening as well, with the two main topics being prospects regarding the vacant H-E-B building as well as prospects for the 5 Hills Shopping Center Phase II.
The sole topic of the 5 p.m. workshop is proposed revisions to the chapter 17.5 of the city's Charter regarding subdivisions.
The 5 p.m. workshop and 6 p.m. regular meeting will take place at the Copperas Cove Economic Development Corporation, located at 210 S. 1st St.