JOSEPHINE COUNTY, Ore. — Pacific Power started installing smart meters in Jackson County in July and since then, they’ve received a lot of push back.
Some people are against the meters because of the radio frequency that the meters produce, however Pacific Power has said that the effects are minimal and would be very beneficial for the community.
Those would have smart meters installed can opt out of the them for 36 dollars a month but that hasn’t sat well with people either.
Josephine County Commissioners are now doing something to try and help those who don’t want smart meters installed.
They proposed a new ordinance that would:
-“Prohibit public utilities from requiring persons who decline to accept Smart Meters to pay opt-out fess;”
-Require public utilities to honor requests to replace Smart Meters with non-radio frequency meters provided the customer makes the request 90 days after thee effective date of the ordinance;”
-Require public utilities to work to institute alternative reading or reporting methods for customers who request such services.””
“What we’re really focusing on though is the people who for whatever their reasons, their personal reasons, to which their entitled, ” Wally Hicks, Legal Counsel for Josephine County Commissioners, said. “Really don’t want a Smart Meter on their property or in their vicinity and simply cannot afford the opt-out fee that Pacific Power is requiring.”
Pacific Power said in a statement, “Installing smart meters saves money for all customers in the long run. However, customers who choose to opt-out of this upgrade and to continue using older metering add costs that would not be fair to pass on to all other customers. In our ongoing efforts to ensure these costs are transparent and fair, we will update the opt-out fees once meter installations are complete in Oregon.” – Christina Kruger, regional business manager, Pacific Power.
The first reading for the ordinance is on October 17th.
© 2024 KOBI-TV NBC5. All rights reserved unless otherwise stated.