Grand Forks council meeting on Jan. 27 was a lively one indeed. Seven different speakers got up to talk about and mostly admonish the upcoming water meter installation.The interest came after the city hosted an open house on Jan. 22 about the water meters, which will start to be installed in the spring.Frank Triveri was the first speaker and he proposed that council should have a referendum vote on the water meters. A crowd of about 15 in the audience all cheered when Triveri brought up the referendum.He also questioned whether councillors who do not live in Grand Forks should be voting on such an important issue.Another speaker, Donna Semenoff, said she represents a number of people in the community who are concerned with the radiation coming from the meters, and how rates will change for customers, particularly those who are ‘green’ and are trying to raise their own fruit and vegetables. She also called for a referundum.Semenoff told the Gazette after the meeting that she is concerned about her health and the health of other residents.“I wanted to make sure that the information that was shared with me, and my own concerns were shared with council,” said Semenoff, who has a few fruit trees on her property but would like to have more of a garden. “Since this affects every resident, I see value in the residents having an opportunity to be informed and have a say in this. I believe if water meters are the best thing the residents will figure it out.”She also brought up the point that it seems like city council is being coerced by the provincial government, who are saying the city will only be eligible for certain grants if they do certain things, such as install water meters.“I would like to see (council) making the best decisions for water conservation and health and being fiscally responsible but I don’t want to see our municipal government cornered where they don’t have access to funds that they have contributed to,” she said. “All of us pay taxes which go the provincial and federal government. I don’t thing it’s fair to restrict our access to grants just because we haven’t decided that water meters are the best thing for us.”Doug Allin, chief administrative officer for Grand Forks, as well as Mayor Brian Taylor and council members, answered many of the questions posed at the meeting by residents.Allin said the water meter installation is not something the city is rushing into and that they’ve done a great deal of research. “Since I’ve been here for the last year and a half, there has been many reports coming in from different professional on the needs for water conservation,” said Allin. “We’ve been talking to the Kettle River Watershed people; we have reports from Kerwood-Lydel that were available; Urban Systems, on the protection of the aquifer, which is one component of it. We have the asset management program which council is working, which is another component of it.This project is so multi-dimensional. Council has also heard from the province on this.”Allin said that going to referendum on the water installation project is not something that he has seen before in other communities mostly due to the technical nature of the project.“This project has been in the public and in council for many, many years,” he said. Council Neil Krog told Triveri that water meters are the wave of the future and integral to the City for future funding.“When we apply for any government grants, unless you have some of these processes in place, they won’t even look at you,” he said.Semenoff also pointed out that a previous information sheet from the City indicated the water meters would not be installed until 2015.Allin pointed out that was a typo and the meters would be installed as soon as the City has chosen a contractor from the bidders who answered the request for proposal. “Council has approved the water meter installation for Spring of 2014,” he answered. “The open houses are there. We’re having another open house coming up regarding the water meters. The mock billing process will begin in 2015. Council, at their purview, will have the ability to initiate billing in 2016 if they feel they have enough information.” Allin said council may put off the billing for one year if they feel they don’t have sufficient information at that time.Councillor Bob Kendal added that the City is not in fact billing residents for the water, but for the cost of delivery.“There seems to be an assumption that the City is charging for the water,” he said. “The reality is, there is a cost to operate the system. What this billing is for, is to get the water out of the ground and treated has a finite cost per gallon or litre of water. The reality is, you’re not paying per se for the water, but for the system to provide the water.”Kendal said there needs to be a distinction there, that people need to know that the more water they use, the more cost to get it out of the ground and treat it and deliver it to the resident.Julia Butler, a local resident who owns a lawn maintenance company in town, is worried about how the water meters would affect her business.Like Semenoff, she pointed out that the City should not be coerced by the government into installing water meters.“I find that, and I’m trying to find a nice word, but it’s dirty,” she said to council. “It’s not nice. You’re members of the community who have been elected to represent us but you’re not getting the opportunity because you’re being strong armed by (the provincial government) into doing what they want.”Krog responded by saying that the City is not kowtowing to the provincial government.“We’re not doing it for the grants,” he said.Butler asked, how else are you going to pay for that infrastructure if you don’t get the grants?“Your proposal goes to the bottom of the pile,” added Councillor Cher Wyers.“The communities that have (water meters) will have first crack (at the grants),” said Krog. “We need that money as well. To me, it’s an added bonus, not the reason for (installing water meters).”Butler said she would like to see more public feedback before the City proceeds with the project. Taylor told the Gazette he feels there is strong support for the water meter program about the residents of Grand Forks.“My feeling is there is overwhelming support in the community,” he said. “Clearly, we have to deal with some of the issues people are not understanding. I think it’s more of a lack of understanding about how the system works and how meters work.”Responding to the question of coercion by the provincial government, Taylor echoed Krog’s sentiments about water meters becoming more and more universal throughout B.C. and Canada.“People are not feeling coerced as much as being told to get onboard with what needs to be done in most communities,” he said. On the referendum question, Taylor said going to referendum on such a clear and acceptable project would not be prudent.“It’s widely accepted by the industry and by the people,” he said. “Clearly, what’s on the line is millions of dollars of infrastructure funding that we need the province and the feds to share with us.”Taylor said it’s up to the City to use engineers and health inspectors and everyone else to determine there is a need for water meters.“The question would be: do you want to conserve water and be environmentally sensitive or don’t you?” he said. “We’re not going to take that question out to referendum.”