Certain other public entities use municipal water but aren't metered at all, such as Fairview Memorial Gardens. Specifically, it affects the city's water and sewer enterprise funds, even though the total utilities aren't especially high.
"They're not large numbers, in those cases," Nelson said.
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"It would get the costs of those operations on the books," Nelson said.
Currently, 23 percent of the city's water is unaccounted for (10 percent is considered usual and 15 percent is considered high), at an expense of $180,000 or more yearly.
"And that's just the water funds," said Darcie Huwe, city finance director. "And whatever doesn't get billed for water doesn't get billed in the sewer fund either."
This water loss, though, does not specifically implicate units that aren't being billed. The main loss is in meters, which as they fail show less sale than actually delivered, Nelson said.
Because of the failing and faulty units, the city's assets are depreciating. The billing would help the city to break even.
"I think it's worth us investing in metering equipment," Huwe said.
The public agencies would be charged the same flat rate per gallon as all local water users. However, the park system pays an estimated quarterly amount, which includes the pool because it uses 350,000 gallons of water daily. This does not include refilling the pool as water is lost from displacement and evaporation. The cost does not provide an accurate estimation of the park's total water usage.
Mayor Jim Sturdevant and committee chairman Meryl Hansey agreed that these agencies should have to pay their utilities.
"I know it's like taking money out of one pocket and putting it the other but at the same time I think it should be a budgeted item," Hansey said.
The cost of the utility, in some cases, would be taken from the city's general funds as part of the entities' budgeted cost of operations. The charge is not part of a revenue-generating scheme.
"We're not making money here," Nelson said. "There's no profit."
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