Columbus Town Council decided recently to install a master water meter at the Sanctuary and not take over the development&squo;s water system.

Columbus officials met a couple of weeks ago and decided to give the development a 90-day notice that a master meter will be installed sometime this summer. Currently, the town monitors the Sanctuary&squo;s water lines and receives a monthly payment of $250 to do so.

The town and the Sanctuary disagree on whether Columbus formally agreed to take over the development&squo;s water system. The town has said it does not want to own the development&squo;s lines and pumps.

Once a master meter has been installed, the Sanctuary will become a private system. The town would supply the development with water, which would be paid for by the developer or a homeowners&squo; association instead of the town running water through the Sanctuary&squo;s lines to each individual homeowner.

Town manager Tim Holloman said the master meter will cost approximately $16,000. Holloman said the earliest a meter could be installed there would be sometime in July. The Sanctuary will have 90 days to find someone else to monitor its system until the master meter is installed.

The Sanctuary at one time requested to be voluntarily annexed into Columbus, but&bsp; developers kept asking for the town to hold off on their request. The issue of annexing the property has not come up in recent months.