Radio-read meters draw overflow crowd to hearing

A sometimes unruly, vocal and overflow crowd Monday night told the Fairfield City Council it wanted no part of radio-read water meters because of health concerns.

The public hearing preceded the second reading vote on an ordinance that would allow residents to ?opt out? of the new meters and pay fees for a non-radio meter.

?We know that long-term there are issues and concerns to address about the radio-read meters,? said Mayor Ed Malloy at the outset of the meeting. ?But the focus tonight is the more immediate. The opt out program and fees are the purpose of this hearing.?

After more than an hour of pleas about health hazards of the meters and the ?unfair? fees for opting out, the council voted 6-1 in favor of moving the opt out ordinance to a third and final reading in two weeks. Councilperson Connie Boyer voted against the measure and later cited concerns about the ?constitutionality? of the fees.

The fees would include $100 for a Read-O-Matic non-radio meter, $75 per hour installation cost with a minimum half-hour charge and a $10 monthly service charge.

A proposed amendment to the ordinance by councilman John Revolinski eliminating the $10 monthly service fee was rejected by a 6-1 vote.

?There?s a lot more work to be done on this in the next couple of weeks,? said new city administrator Kevin Flanagan at the conclusion of the meeting. ?In no way does anyone in city government want to harm anyone.?

But during the public hearing, most residents spoke about being harmed financially by the opt-out fees or health dangers of the wireless radio signals.

Brian Kelly of Sapphire Lane dismissed Boyer?s comparison that the fees were similar to paying more for organic food at the grocery store or paying for an exterior meter pit. City water superintendent Carl Chandler said the meter pit at a cost of about $400 was another alternative.

?We were not given a choice like choosing items at the grocery store,? said Kelly. ?Someone in my subdivision already has a pit and it cost $600-$700. The [radio read] meter is a controversial device. It should cost nothing [to opt out] for those of us who have been installed and we didn?t know about it. They?re more dangerous than cell phones. There?s lots of evidence in Europe.?

With the council chamber microphones not working, speakers were often interrupted with shouted complaints that crowd members couldn?t hear the presentations.

John Brown told the crowd the state of Vermont on May 15 passed a bill to allow residents not to have radio-read meters at no additional cost.

?Studies have given strong indication of the potential risk [of the meters],? said Brown who resides on Wonder Way. ?I ask that the city err on the side of safety ... but since they are moving forward with the wireless, we have to pay to avoid being harmed.?

Bob Stone of South Sixth Street requested the city ?simply charge them for the amount of their average monthly water bill? to opt out.

Steve Druker, who lives on North Park Street, said many experts have issued safety warnings about pulsed radiation and have cautioned against smart meters.

?Our community has not embraced this technology and we should not be asked to bear the cost,? he said. ?In order to opt out, one has to shell out and that?s not fair.?

Susan Hirschmann said she did not favor the tactics used by those opposing the radio-read water meters.

?There?s been lots of mania whipped up,? she said. ?I really wish it hadn?t been done that way. It seems like you guys [city officials] have done a lot of homework on this. The notion that the city is putting people?s health at risk is crazy.?

Kathryn Seranduc questioned the accuracy of the wireless water meters.

?They are notoriously inaccurate,? said Seranduc. ?If it?s off, you still have to pay whatever you?re billed for. I get heart palpitations and nausea the closer I get to the meter.?

Rick Archer requested the opt-out program be implemented as soon as possible.

Malloy said there have been very few official statements from the city regarding the meters. He was responding to numerous unsubstantiated statements regarding the city?s position on the meters.

?I don?t understand the accusations regarding the city that are just untrue,? said Malloy.

Councilman Michael Halley said the opt-out fee would not be totally eliminated. He added the Environmental and Franchise Utilities Committee he chairs had been informed of a water meter being used in Sioux City that used telephone lines.

He also voiced displeasure with being the target of the opponents for the water meter issue.

?My in-box is full of this trash,? he said. ?It?s very unfair the way this is being handled. Very uncivil.?

Malloy warned the crowd to behave in a responsible manner. Police Chief Julie Harvey intervened to quell some loud, out-of-order responses.

More than 100 people attended the meeting.