Jamestown Council Approves $50 Monthly Fee for Outdated Water Meters

About 120 Jamestown utility customers will see an extra $50 on their May water bills unless they schedule a replacement of their outdated mechanical water meter. The Jamestown City Council approved the recurring monthly fee Monday night on a 4-0 vote, with Councilman David Schloegel absent.

Mayor Dwaine Heinrich put it plainly at the meeting: "There are some people that are just not willing to cooperate."

The city launched a multi-year meter replacement program in 2024, targeting units installed as far back as the 1940s, '50s and '60s. Those older meters generate inaccurate readings and force utility crews to read or estimate some accounts by hand while others transmit remotely to City Hall. With roughly 120 properties still running on the old equipment, the council turned to billing pressure to close the gap.

The $50 charge lands on accounts beginning with the May statement and continues each month until that individual property's meter is swapped. Councilman Brian Kamlitz said the fee should be reevaluated through August and raised if noncompliance persists, signaling the council is ready to escalate if the holdout list doesn't shrink.

Getting through those 120 replacements will take time. City staff will now handle the installations rather than outside contractors, but public works director Tyler Michel cautioned that staff reductions, scheduled hydrant flushing, and an upcoming water main project limit how many meters crews can replace each week. Councilman David Steele said customers who are actively cooperating and working to schedule their installation may receive a grace period to avoid the fee while they wait for an opening.

Residents who haven't yet arranged their swap should call Jamestown Public Works at 701-252-5131. With Michel's staffing warning on the record, those who wait may find themselves at the back of a growing line once May billing begins.