This is in reply to Kevin Strauss of the Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency (letters, July 1).
When Glenda Roybal sent a letter to The Signal about how unfair it is to change our water meters to smart meters, you replied: “However, manual meter reading requires additional staff time, vehicle use, administrative processing and ongoing operational support that are not required for customers participating in the (advanced meter infrastructure) program. The opt-out fee recovers those additional costs directly, rather than spreading it across other customers.”
If it is much less time, work and staff to have the new smart meters, then everyone with a smart meter should be getting a discount. We were paying a price for the old meter and the servicing, now you have a smarter, more cost-effective meter that should reflect in a savings in our bill, not (the agency’s) pocket. Anyone who chooses the old meter should not be charged more as the costs were already being charged for the service. It’s time to let us choose and if customers want the smart meter, then they should get a savings, but those who don’t want it, should be charged the same. (The agency) already got huge pay raises over the next five years.
Cindy Russo
Saugus
