INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — Independence, Missouri will now upgrade to advanced meters for the city's utilities, reversing a decision made two weeks ago.
Although the item wasn’t on the agenda for Monday’s city council meeting, members voted to enter a contract with Core & Main to install smart meters across the city.
"Is this rehash of what we buried last time?" Council member Tom Van Camp said during Monday's meeting.
Two weeks ago, the council voted against two options that would replace the analog meters used to measure utilities like water and electricity with so-called smart ones.
On Monday, council members changed their mind.
In a 4-3 vote, the council approved a nearly $30 million contract with a company called Core & Main to install the smart meters
"Except for losing jobs, I think it’s probably a good thing," Susan Brockman, an Independence resident, said. "It might be more accurate and people won’t be out in inclement weather."
On Tuesday, the city declined to go on-camera to talk about the vote or the roll-out of the new equipment, but did issue a press release.
"It is estimated the city will break even in eight years and will save an estimated $44 million over 15 years," the release stated.
Independence is one of the few areas in the metro that still uses these analog meters.
John Schroeder, a life-long Independence resident, is concerned about his privacy when it comes the smart meters.
"It’s the reason I don’t have a Google Assistant or Homehub or Alexa," Schroeder said. "That information goes somewhere people can easily hack into it and change it."
The city is working with the company to come up with an opt-out policy for those who don't want the smart meters.
"As you can imagine, they’re coming just like everything else that’s digital and tech," Brockman said.
The city says the meters will be replaced over the next three years.
