From: Diane Rosenberg <drosenb...@lisco.com> Subject: Water Meter Opt Public Hearing MONDAY 7:00 PM City Hall - PLEASE ATTEND Date: June 9, 2012 4:06:32 PM CDT To: dickm...@lisco.com
Please come to Monday's City Council meeting regarding the Neptune water meters. This is an important issue that affects our community's health and pocketbooks, and the City Council needs to see that people really do care. Please feel free to forward this to all your family and friends. The Fairfield City Council meets MONDAY June 11 at 7:00pm at City Hall, S Main St for the 2nd public hearing of the Water Meter opt out proposal This proposal is to allow citizens an alternative to the City's preferred meter the Neptune E-Coder "radio read" meter which pulse RF radiation every 14 seconds. For a background to this issue, please go to http://tinyurl.com/FairfieldSmartMeterPetition This meeting is especially important because this is the last meeting of the council, before the next meeting at which they vote to approve the opt out. SO THIS IS OUR LAST OPPORTUNITY to voice our support for no fees for the opt out. Not enough people have been present so far, and it suggests no concern for the high costs being proposed. It is important for people to voice their opinions, and for everyone to show up and be present to demonstrate commitment to no cost for the opt out. What we have learned so far: • 4 years ago the Water Department decided they could save costs of one of the two salaries for water meter readers if most of the city was switched to "radio read" meters which can be read from a vehicle on the road outside the house, and would not require a meter reader to walk up to each house. The Neptune E-Coder Water Meter was selected and to date 1552 have been installed and the City plans to compete all remaining homes with these meters within a few years. • Fairfield residents were being told, as recently as April 2012, that the Neptune E-Coder pulsed only once per month after a meter reader remotely sent a signal to request a reading. THIS IS FALSE! The meters pulse RF radiation every 14 seconds 24 hours a day. • The World Health Organization (WHO) last year reclassified microwave radiation from wireless communication devices as classification Class 2B "possible carcinogen." This is the same class as lead, DDT and car exhaust. The risks to children and pregnant mothers for wireless radiation is much greater due to their thinner skulls protecting the brain. Taking heed of this the governments of many countries have issued warnings or banned the sale of cell phones to children. These include Russia, France, Finland, United Kingdom, Israel, Belgium, Germany and India. • Recent published research shows that other devices emitting RF radiation at similar peak intensity and frequencies can cause arrhythmia, rapid changes in heart rate indicating potential for serious heart problems, impaired mental function, indicating interference with brain functioning, and reduced fertility. • Fairfield residents with these meters are reporting the same symptoms that others with RF (smart) meters in other cities are reporting, including headaches, dizziness, ringing in the ears, nausea, insomnia, and other problems. These are established symptoms of RF exposure. • The Neptune E-Coders are being installed by the City in homes sometimes as close as three feet away from peoples beds or desks. The meters are often inside closets, even in bedrooms in many trailers throughout the City. • The Fairfield City Council Environment Committee Chairman, Michael Halley insists the meters are safe. In emails to citizens concerned about the meters he describes their concerns as "baseless mania... based on pseudo-science and misinformation, not fact." What the OPT OUT proposes: Citizens who do not want the Neptune E-Coder will be offered a new Neptune Touchpad meter (as already on many Fairfield homes) for an extra cost of: * One time fee of $100 plus Labor @ $75 an hour, billed in half hour increments. So the MINIMUM one time charge is $137.50 * Recurring monthly fee of $10 to cover cost of meter reader coming to the home once per month (instead of reading from a vehicle in the roadway outside the home) We need to express to the City Council: • The WATER BILLS ARE ALREADY TOO HIGH. We think the OPT OUT SHOULD BE FREE. Many places such as St Paul MN offer the same opt out that this proposal offers AT NO EXTRA COST. (see article at: http://db.tt/tLCF9CYI ) Fairfield should follow the State of Vermont which last month became the first state in the US to make it ILLEGAL to charge fees to citizens who choose to opt of the wireless "smart" utility meters. • The cost of the Neptune E-Coder meter is $240 or approximately $145 more than the existing Neptune Touchpad meter presently used and proposed in the opt out plan as a safer - non RF emitting water meter. The extra cost borne by the City for this "upgrade" may exceed $500,000 over several years versus the cost of the cheaper Neptune Touchpad meter now being used, and offered in the opt out. This is not worth the money, if it only saves ONE meter readers salary. * Cost benefit analysis in other states has shown absolutely no cost benefit whatsoever from the meters. In fact, customers in other states have stated that their monthly bills are higher with the new meters, and many cases of malfunction of the meters have resulted in drastically high bills for some customers. In Dallas, Texas, A lawsuit charges that 40,000 of 54,000 water meters by Neptune Technology Group failed. Because Neptune is not standing behind its product, the Board of Water Supply is paying thousands in unexpected costs, the lawsuit said. Please show your support and speak up at the public hearing on Monday. This is your last chance to express your opinion before the Council votes on this! Your attendance at the meeting will also support the efforts of those who speak on our behalf. To receive email updates on this please send an E-mail to: fairfieldsafemet...@gmail.com Read more details and invite your friends to view this website and sign the petition: http://tinyurl.com/FairfieldSmartMeterPetition Brian Horsfield, PhD. fairfieldsafemet...@gmail.com
