Water meters in Sarasota to be replaced with remote-read technology

As part of its consent agenda, the Sarasota City Commission on Oct. 6 authorized the Utilities Department to execute a purchase order to National Metering Services Inc. for the water meter replacement project in the amount of $3.87 million.

The city of Sarasota owns and operates nearly 16,000 residential and commercial meters for potable water, essential to providing services to all customers. The city has initiated a multi-phase project to replace all residential and commercial meters over the next 24 months. The new meters allow meters to be read remotely once the Advanced Metering Infrastructure network infrastructure is installed.

Since 1998, National Metering Services has installed more than 1 million meters and reading systems in Florida. It was recently awarded an agreement with the city of Zephyrhills to install meters, valves, hydrants and a variety of other utility-related services.

Rather than a standard bidding process, the contract is based on the purchase order between the company and the city of Zephyrhills, which interim City Manager Dave Bullock told commissioners is common practice providing the “specifications line up.”

This purchase order will cover the installation services for the new AMI-ready meter boxes, water service line identification with GPS/GIS location, surface restoration and testing of the removed meters.

Timing of the project will overlap with existing meter reading cycles to achieve minimal disruption of current billing. In the interim, the new meters may be read using the existing drive-by methodology until the AMI network is activated.

In other business, via consent agenda approval, the City Commission also:

• Authorized the mayor and city auditor and clerk to executive an agreement between the city and The Color Nine Group for federal lobbying services in the amount of $54,000 per year for three years, a total of $162,000. The contract includes two optional one-year renewal terms.
• Authorized the mayor and city auditor and clerk to execute the first amendment to the agreement between the city and Passport Labs Inc. for consolidated parking enforcement and management solutions. A 2024 agreement with the vendor did not provide for photo enforcement of the city's gateless garage system. The amendment will provide a total of 14 cameras inside all three city-owned garages at a first-year cost of $133,095, which includes cameras, hardware, installation, monitoring fees and warranties. The annual cost in subsequent years will be $53,900, which includes monthly fees and extended warranty on equipment.