TOLEDO, Ohio — Toledo City Council approved an additional $5.6 million on Tuesday for its smart water meter project. In three years, this project has had millions more dollars added to the total since it was first announced.
Council members Theresa Morris, George Sarantou, Tiffany Whitman, Matt Cherry, Carrie Hartman, John Hobbs, Nick Komives and Sam Melden voted yes. Council members Theresa Gadus, Cerssandra McPherson and Katie Moline voted no. Council member Vanice Williams was not present at Tuesday's meeting.
Hobbs said the water meters are "technology that is needed so that our citizens don't have a $5 bill one month and next month it's $500."
The project was initially introduced with a price tag of $88 million to install those meters in two years. However, it's May of 2023 and those meters have not all been installed. Hobbs acknowledged the fact that the project is taking longer than initially expected is an issue.
"Change is never easy, and change comes with, oftentimes, unforeseen circumstances," Hobbs said.
The goal was to have 126,000 water meters installed by 2022, but in March, the city had only replaced about 24,000.
McPherson, who voted against the additional funding on Tuesday, said the city of Toledo is at fault for the project not meeting its goals.
"This is on the city," McPherson said. "This is on the citizens of Toledo, and now you're coming back and asking for more, and I'm like, 'No.'"
She said the project sounds like a good and simple project in theory. But there's much more to it and the costs keep adding up and there's a litany of issues the project has faced.
McPherson said she wouldn't be surprised if council is again asked to approve more money for the project. While Hobbs said he sincerely hopes that's not the case, he said council might not be as giving again.
"Council has tried everything to make sure that this project goes forth," Hobbs said. "So, if they come back and say that they need more money, I believe they're going to have to go look for it somewhere else."
The city has been sending out postcards to residents about needing to schedule water meter replacement appointments. And after three postcards and a phone call, residents can be at risk of getting their water shut off, according to the city. The anticipated date for all the new meters to be installed by the end of 2024.