T-L Photo/CARRI GRAHAM BELLAIRE COUNCILMAN Mike Doyle, left, speaks with fellow finance committee members regarding the purchase of new water meters during Friday’s meeting. Also pictured is Councilman Jerry Fisher.

BELLAIRE — The village of Bellaire will move forward with the purchase of new water reading meters in an attempt to aid with the village’s loss of water revenue.

During Friday’s meeting, the finance committee decided to move forward with the purchase of between six and 10 new water meters to be installed at Housing Authority apartment complexes throughout the village.

Councilman and finance committee member Mike Doyle said the cost to purchase the new meters is around $10,000 which will come out of the village’s infrastructure fund. The cost per meter is between $800-$1,000, he said.

Doyle said the current meters are not working properly and potentially causing a revenue loss to the village.

“Right now we don’t have adequate meters in the apartment complexes, either they don’t work or they’re aren’t reading correctly. … It’s going to cost us approximately $10,000 for the meters and to put them in all the units,” he said. “We already know those units are an issue with water.”

Committee members all agreed they do not want to raise the water rates in the village. Doyle suggested fixing the meters to ensure the reading accuracy of the meters and potentially generate more revenue prior to doing anything else.

“Statistically our rates are at the maximum or more than the maximum of what our community should bear. So i’m looking at this. Let’s put these meters in here and see what the revenue is. We’ll see then, because if our revenue comes up then we don’t have to do an increase or the increase drops,” he said.

Doyle said he is hoping the meters will pay for themselves once correct readings are given to the apartment residents.

Councilman Jerry Fisher said council and the finance committee have been discussing the possibility of purchasing new meters for months now and they should move forward with the purchase.

The water department is currently $55,000 in the red, Fisher said. Committee members are hopeful that replacing the meters will help with the deficit.