Meter access an issue

The St. Martinville city council will now require that residents provide ready access to water and electric meters to be read at any time.
At the May 4 council meeting, at which attendance was again limited to meet COVID-19 requirements, attorney Allan Durand told the council that, surprisingly, no ordinance seems to exist requiring consistent access to meters.
In some cases the presence of aggressive dogs or the location of meters behind locked gates have made it necessary for bills to be estimated based on past water or power use. Durand commented, “Some of these meters have not been read in a long time.”
Councilman Craig Prosper said, “Those meters are city property. In any city, full access for reading and checking their condition is required and power is cut off if there is no access. Sometimes power has to be cut when there is a fire for the safety of firefighters. And the utility has to be able to determine if the seal tag has been broken or power is being stolen.”
An ordinance was passed by a 3-2 vote to institute a $50 fine for customers who do not provide meter access after notice is hand-delivered and five days have passed. The fine can be assessed repeatedly if the problem continues in subsequent months.
Councilmen Juma Johnson and Edmond Joseph voted against the measure.
Johnson, attending by teleconference, objected to the ordinance, saying, “Some people don’t feel safe with their gates unlocked.” Johnson said meter readers should place a notice on the door and return at a later date and no fine should be assessed.
But Prosper responded that meters can be moved to a different location if necessary. Also, residents will be allowed to appeal to the council and fees can be waived if there is a good reason access cannot be provided.