Owensville resident and former alderman Sam Britton raised concerns Feb. 20 at Owensville’s Board of Aldermen meeting regarding the “forced” installation of Ameren’s new smart meters.

Privacy concerns are forefront according to Britton.

Unlike the previous analog meters and first-generation digital meters that provided monthly usage information, smart meters have a constant data stream.

“Now you’re changing from a power company into a surveillance company. They’ll know when you’re home and when you’re not home,” he shared. “What are they going to do with that data?”

Britton, who has a Missouri-based podcast named Missouri Liberty Radio that claims to provide the news that the mainstream news networks refuse to cover, said he has been following the development of smart meters since around 2007-08.

“There’s so many different things out there,” said Britton, “it’s hard to pick up fact from fiction these days.”

He identified the original issue with these types of meters as durability, referencing that many of the early meters and their components were made in China.

“The meters back then were causing, in some cases, fires and explosions, because the meters were underrated to carry the load,” he said.

He told the aldermen that he hasn’t seen too much of that these days.

Additionally, unlike cell phones and routers, consumers are unable to simply turn smart meters off to stop the constant stream of microwave transmissions, Britton shared. He’s still looking into the health effects.

He also voiced concerns related to time-of-day pricing and costs to opt out.

A visitor, Jacob Hair, was slated to share additional concerns with the aldermen regarding his opposition to the installation of the smart meters but did not appear before the board.

Prior to the meeting, Hair shared multiple posts regarding his concerns about smart meters on one of Owensville’s widely-used Facebook group pages called “Owensville, Mo Talk.”

Amongst Hair’s concerns were children’s exposure to electromagnetic frequencies and “illegal coercive measures in the form of illegal fines, and or punitive measures against (citizens) to motivate (citizens) to submit.”

In his meeting participation request form, he cited “questionable ‘federal’ goals.”

Multiple members of the board researched and contacted other officials and spokespersons to prepare for the topic.

“To put things in perspective, Ameren’s install is probably 1.2 million meters and globally there’s probably a billion meters installed,” said Owensville City Administrator Randy Blaske. “There isn’t much the city, as a municipality, in good faith can fight.”

Blaske advised that Ameren Missouri’s costs to opt out are high and that is where he feels pushback is appropriate.

Households wishing to enroll in the Non-Standard Metering (NSM) service can expect to pay a one-time setup charge of $100 and an additional $40 per month for fees that include having the meter read manually, according to their website.

Regarding the concern of time-of-day pricing, Ward 1 Alderman Cathy Lahmeyer shared highlights from her conversation with an Ameren representative before the meeting.

She advised there are multiple rate plans and Ameren customers can take an online quiz to determine the most economical option. The quiz and rate information are found at www.ameren.com/missouri/company/rate-options.

“Let’s all take a look at it and look at what’s best for our particular household,” she suggested. “At least we’re going to have choices.”

Owensville Mayor John Kamler publicly endorsed Ward 1 Alderman Kevin McFadden during the Feb. 20 Board of Aldermen Meeting. “I definitely think he’s the right man for the job, and want to see things continue to roll like we’ve been doing,” said Kamler. “He’s not afraid to ask questions.”