City seeks to brighten up neighborhoods with private street lighting program

By Sara Beth Williams–
The City of Citrus Heights is seeking community input on a new private street lighting program that would help illuminate neighborhoods where lighting infrastructure is limited or nonexistent.

City Engineer Leslie Blomquist recently visited Citrus Heights Neighborhood Area Seven, Eight, Nine (CHASEN) during their monthly meeting to bring awareness and gauge public interest in the pilot program.

The new program in the works would allow private property owners to select from a menu of different street lamppost and lighting options, which would be installed on private properties in close proximity to sidewalks or the public right of way. The program would also connect residents with vetted, prequalified contractors to help with installation.

“A lot of our neighborhoods, especially those that were built prior to city incorporation, don’t have street lights, and unfortunately the city street lighting program is underfunded,” Blomquist said, adding that newly constructed neighborhoods do receive street lights.

Blomquist also said there’s a “mismatch” of ownership of streetlights in Citrus Heights, with 95 percent owned and maintained by the city, and the rest are SMUD owned and maintained, including lights that have been installed on wooden utility poles.

Engineering Technician Matthew Ma explained during the presentation that traditional 28-foot light poles, which are hardwired into conduits underground, are expensive, costing up to $20,000 each. Ma outlined a list of private installation options that would be more cost-effective for residents.

The first option, solar-powered lampposts, would be the ideal option in areas that don’t have existing electrical conduits underground, Ma said, adding that they’re environmentally friendly, less expensive to install, and don’t require permitting. However, excessive cloud cover can hinder prolonged light productivity, and the light produced isn’t as bright as from traditional counterparts.

Traditional lamppost options are also available for private property owners, Ma said. Traditional lampposts require electrical conduit hookup, and, in some cases, the installation may need permitting. The traditional lampposts would offer stronger light and operate consistently.

The third option is a mounted option, which is able to be purchased at home improvement stores. Mounted light options allow private property owners to install smart lightbulbs as well. Mounted lights aren’t typically close to sidewalks, however, Ma said.

Lights installed as part of the private lighting program are lower wattage and therefore would result in lower monthly electricity costs compared to the standard 28-foot public streetlight, Blomquist said, adding that any privately installed lighting under the proposed program would be connected to the residential meter and be billed directly to the property owner’s utility account as part of their monthly electricity bill.

Mounted light options are the least expensive option, while the cost of installing a lamppost can range from $200 to $900. After installation, the cost of a traditional hardwired light ranges from $0.33 to $1.69 per light or $3.97 to $20.33 annually, based on city staff research, Blomquist said. Purchased light posts would be privately owned, not publicly owned, and all maintenance costs would fall on the private owner.

More specific details regarding options will be available once the city gathers feedback and gauges the amount of interest in the pilot program, Ma said, adding that final options of specific light fixtures would be voted on by individual Neighborhood Associations.

Last week, Blomquist confirmed that the city has also presented the information to the REACH board and will continue to “expand” its outreach for the pilot program to additional neighborhood associations in order to gather “comprehensive feedback.”

The city has put together an online survey in order to make it easier for residents to provide feedback on the private street lighting program. Residents can share their thoughts through the survey here.