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Home My WebLink AboutRES2025-120 National Metering & Technical Services - Meter AuditsSponsored by: Sorensen CITY OF SEWARD, ALASKA RESOLUTION 2025-120 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEWARD, ALASKA, AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO ACCEPT THE PROPOSAL FROM NATIONAL METERING & TECHNICAL SERVICES TO PERFORM COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL METER AUDITS IN THE AMOUNT OF $37,005 PLUS A 10% CONTINGENCY AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS WHEREAS, the City of Seward Electric Department relies on accurate metering to ensure proper billing, system transparency, and fairness across all commercial and industrial customer classes; and WHEREAS, it is industry best practice to perform comprehensive Current Transformer (CT) meter audits on commercial and industrial accounts every five years, and the City has not conducted a third -party audit since 2018 when AMR meters were installed; and WHEREAS, National Metering & Technical Services submitted a proposal to perform audits on 83 commercial and industrial accounts, including full verification of CTs, meter wiring, multipliers, configurations, burden checks, polarity, and associated equipment, as well as providing a detailed summary report and recommendations at the completion of the project; and WHEREAS, National Metering & Technical Services proposes to complete the audit work in approximately two weeks at a rate of 5-7 CT services per day, with all specialized labor, testing equipment, vehicles, tools, and PPE included in their fixed cost of $37,005.00; and WHEREAS, by hiring a qualified and independent third party, the city can ensure that all commercial and industrial accounts are accurately measured and billed, protecting both customers and the utility, and supporting long-term rate stability; and WHEREAS, the electric department recommends including a ten percent contingency to account for any scheduling, access, or field complexity issues that may arise during the audit process. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEWARD, ALASKA, that: Section 1. The City Council hereby authorizes the City Manager to accept the proposal with National Metering & Technical Services for commercial and industrial meter auditing services in the amount of $37,005.00, plus a ten percent contingency, for a total authorization not to exceed $40,705.50. CITY OF SEWARD, ALASKA RESOLUTION 2025-120 Section 2. Funding for this meter audit project in the amount of $40,705.50 is hereby appropriated from the Electric Fund 15000-0000-3400 Unassigned to 15000-3000-7009 contracted services account. Section 3. This resolution shall take effect immediately upon adoption. PASSED AND APPROVED by the City Council of the City of Seward, Alaska this 15th day of December 2025. THE CITY OF SEWARD, ALASKA sbe. kiceize,L4. Sue McClure, Mayor AYES: Barnwell, Calhoon, Crites, Osenga, Draper, Warner, McClure NOES: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None ATTEST: P Kris Peck City Clerk City Council Agenda Statement Meeting Date: December 15, 2025 To: City Council Through: Kat Sorensen, City Manager From: Taylor Crocker, Electric Operations Supervisor Subject: Resolution 2025-120: Authorizing the City Manager to Accept the Proposal from National Metering & Technical Services to Perform Commercial and Industrial Meter Audits in the Amount of $37,005 Plus a 10% Contingency and Appropriating Funds Background and justification: The City of Seward Electric Department relies on accurate commercial and industrial metering to ensure fair, transparent, and verifiable billing for some of the City's largest ratepayers. Industry best practice is to audit commercial and industrial Current Transformer (CT) metering installations every five years. The City's last third -party audit was completed in 2018, when the AMR meter system was first installed. Since then, many CT services have undergone load changes, equipment aging, or customer configuration updates that warrant a comprehensive review. National Metering & Technical Services submitted a proposal to audit 83 commercial and industrial meter installations using journeyman -level metermen who will verify meter numbers, nameplate data, wiring, multipliers, CT sizing, polarity, burden, and overall accuracy, as well as document findings with photos and a detailed report. Their scope also includes identifying safety issues, metering anomalies, or potential revenue impacts. The work is expected to take approximately two weeks at a rate of 5-7 CT services per day, and includes all labor, specialized metering equipment, vehicles, testing tools, and field PPE. Accurate metering protects both the customer and the utility. A third -party audit ensures unbiased verification of all metering components and enhances customer confidence in the billing system. National Metering's quoted price is $37,005.00, and the Electric Department recommends adding 10% contingency to account for site -specific access challenges or potential repairs identified during testing. Comprehensive and Strategic Plan Consistency Information This legislation is consistent with (citation listed): Comprehensive Plan: Strategic Plan: Other: Total amount of funds listed in this legislation: $ 40,705.50 This legislation (✓): Creates revenue in the amount of: Creates expenditure in amount of: Creates a savings in the amount of: Has no fiscal impact x Funds are (✓): Budgeted Line item(s): 15000 3000 7009 0000 00000 X $ $ 40,705.50 $ Not budgeted Not applicable Affected Fund (✓): General Boat Harbor Motor Pool Available Fund Balance X SMIC Parking Other Yes x Electric Water Attorney Signature: Not applicable Comments: $ Wastewater Healthcare Note: amounts are unaudited 103,207.46 Finance Director Signature: Attorney Review Administration Recommendation X Adopt Resolution Other: