PW&L looking at new metering system

PRESCOTT – Customers of Prescott Water and Light could be getting a choice in the near future.

Larry Jones, Jr., with PW&L, told the Prescott City Council, at it’s February meeting Tuesday night, about a new “pay as you go” system. The concept, he said, will be to literally have new customers pay for the electricity they think they’ll need up front, much like pre-paying for cell phones or credit cards.

He said PW&L pulled 103 meters in 2019 from people who hadn’t lived in Prescott for a year. The city lost $40,000 in unpaid bills because of this. The new system, he added, also means new customers and those with poor credit won’t have to pay the $300 deposit up front and the benefit is the city won’t have to pull any meters as the electricity will automatically shut off when the deposited amount runs out – like cell phone minutes.

In addition, he said, the new system will give notifications when there’s an outage, and customers will be notified when the amount they’ve deposited is running low. Jones said this will also cut down on theft. The new system will have an application and a website as well.

Jones said the city is also looking to replace its water meters with something similar. The new meters will be remotely read, not manually read and customers can keep tabs on the amount of electricity (and water) they’re using on their computer or phone.

Existing customers, he said, will have the choice of using the pay as you go method, or continuing to get billed monthly.

Prescott Mayor Terry Oliver said Hope has already gone to this system and it seems to be working out for them.

Jones pointed out this system will also work for businesses, adding the younger generation should like it as it’s what they’re already used to. Once the council agreed to the idea, Jones said he’ll get prices and move forward on the project.

Councilman Howard Austin said something needs to be done about the cost of electricity and suggested the city void its contract with SWEPCO and find another provider. His suggestion would be problematic as the city, should this be considered, would be violating the contract and could face other repercussions.

City Attorney Glen Vasser said the city is trying to get out of its contract with SWEPCO, and has been for a while.

In other business, the council agreed to sell Park Baptist Church a second parcel of land for $11,000.

It also approved a resolution modifying the interlocal agreement between the city and county concerning radio dispatchers for the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office and Prescott Police Department. Under the amended resolution, the city and county would have to agree on any raises for radio operators and dispatchers before they go into effect with the salaries to be reviewed every November.