TRYON – Tryon water customers who want to test their water meter will now have to pay for the testing if the meter is found to not be faulty.

Tryon Town Council approved a new ordinance and changed its schedule of fees during its December meeting to allow for the change.

Tryon Town Manager Zach Ollis said the life of a meter is approximately 20 years but the battery in the transmitter will die before the 20 years is up. Ollis said when the battery dies, the transmitter can be replaced, but if the battery dies, the transmitter can no longer transmit the meter reading to the computer. When the battery dies, the meter can still read usage, but the meter has to be read manually.

Ollis said the town has had some situations where the meters are bad.

Customers who question their meter can have the meter tested, with the testing costing approximately $200. The new ordinance states if the meter is tested and the meter is bad, the town will pay for the testing and replace the meter. However, if the meter is tested and it is not bad, the customer will have to pay for the testing.

There is no extra charge for replacement of the transmitter. Ollis said the monthly fee covers the cost of replacing the transmitter or the replacement of a meter within a 10-year period.

“However, if/when a customer requests a meter be tested before the meter’s ‘life expectancy,’ we will replace it with a new meter and test the old meter,” Ollis said. “If the meter comes back as testing accurate, the customer will be charged for the new meter along with any maintenance fees to cover the cost of time and labor for replacing the meter. Because we will be replacing the old meter with a newer meter, replacing the meter would not be considered a wash and therefore justification for the extra meter fee.”

The town’s ordinance states, “At the customer’s request, the town may send a water meter out for testing for proof of accuracy. If the test determines that the meter is defective, the customer will not be charged for the test. If the test determines that the meter is functioning accurately, the customer will be assessed the water meter testing fee set forth in the town’s schedule of fees as amended from time to time.”

Commissioner Roy Miller asked if the fee will be the same for a commercial meter as it is with a residential meter. Ollis said the fee should be the same for both.

The ordinance and fee schedule were approved unanimously by town council.