Plans are being made at Yazoo City's Public Service Commission (PSC) to replace all commercial and residential water meters with automatic radio read water meters, thereby enabling PSC meter readers to read the meters from the streets. There is also talk at the PSC about replacing the city's 5,300 electric meters with the radio read meters.
Funding will come from a state revolving loan fund, which will provide low interest financing for a 20-year term. PSC Manager Jimmy Wever said the $1.5 million-plus loan also would provide funding for a new water well and storage tank, and a 12-inch water line down Mississippi 3.
There are currently approximately 4,600 water meters in the city. PSC has three meter readers who read all water and electricity meters in the city monthly.
“A lot of these (water) meters are old and may not be as accurate as they need to be, and they may help our revenues on the water system,” Wever reported to the Board of Commissioners in the Sept. 13 meeting.
He said application for the loan was made approximately one year ago, and he expects to hear about the status of the application in April or May 2017.
Once the loan is obtained, PSC may choose to outsource the purchasing and installation of the meters.
In other PSC business, the commissioners:
* Heard PSC Engineer Wayne Morrison report that Walmart projects completing construction of the Yazoo City store on January 10, 2016, with opening projected for March 2017.
* Discussed the lighting to be installed on the Willie Morris Parkway and authorized advertisement for bids for light poles. Wever said PSC will need to install 93 poles for lighting on the parkway. Cost estimates for the solar lighting range from $500,000 to $1 million, according to Morrison. Wired LED lighting is budgeted at $350,000 for the entire project.
“I just don't feel like we can spend that amount of money (for the solar-powered lighting),” Wever said. “I would like to pursue the advertisement for the LED lights to be done under a contract basis.”
No decision has been made regarding the type of poles that will line the parkway. While some nearby cities have decorative poles for lighting, “these are not decorative poles,” Morrison said.
While photos of types of poles have been forwarded to Mayor Diane Delaware for her input, Morrison said she had not responded.
* Approved a bad debt write-off of $7,309.30 on May disconnects and authorized a $750 petty cash fund.
* Approved the FY2017 PSC budget.
