Street Light Maintenance District

Street Light Information Update: May 24, 2011

The City of Vista did not receive 2500 replies in support of a ballot measure (by May 20, 2011) to increase the light assessment fees. Therefore a mail ballot election is not recommended at this time, as responses indicated a ballot measure would fail. Thank you to property owners who took the time to submit their opinion on whether or not they would support a ballot measure.

3,842 total property owner responses received: 47% in support of (1,825) and 53% opposed (2,017)

Street lights will not be turned out at this time due to several factors that need to be resolved first:

  • Staff has been working with SDG&E for four months and needs more time to continue discussions with SDG&E to obtain their answers to the costs of turning out City and SDG&E street lights.
  • The City has relied on Case Studies in other parts of California as the rational for reducing costs. Staff based their street light reduction plan on the case studies in Northern CA. The northern cities were not charged by the electric company to turn out street lights. Vista staff assumed SDG&E would provide that same type of partnership.
  • City staff will not be recommending turning out street lights, if it is going to cost more to turn out the lights than the savings generated from using less electricity.

Street Light Information

The City currently has a Lighting Maintenance assessment district which funds the operation and maintenance of Vista’s streetlights. Below is information on the lighting district:

  • Over the past 16 years, the cost of electricity, maintenance, and equipment for the lighting district has increased. As a result of the increase, the City’s General Fund has been subsidizing the lighting district by over $350,000 per year, as the assessments do not cover the costs of the lighting district.
  • The District’s light fees have not increased in over 16 years due to Proposition 218, passed in 1996, which states that cities cannot raise assessment district fees without a vote of the District’s property owners.
  • Vista is facing severe budget shortfalls due to the economic recession, and can no longer subsidize the district.
  • The City asked property owners if they were willing to support an increased fee (estimated to be $4 to $20 per year for residential properties) to fund the lighting district. Property owners provided their input by returning a response card by May 20, 2011to the City.

LED Street Light Replacement Project

As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the City received funding from the Department of Energy to replace 850 street lights and traffic light signals with LED (Light-emitting diode) lights. Public Works crews have completed replacing the existing low-pressure sodium (LPS) lights on the street lights with the LED lights in order to significantly reduce energy demand and maintenance costs.

The City of Vista is the first known city in North County to use this type of LED lighting. The lights are whiter and brighter and typically last longer, require less maintenance and run more efficiently than traditional lights. The LED street lights are expected to last 20 years, as opposed to the traditional street lights that have a life expectancy of 3-4 years.

The reduction in energy use and longer lasting lights should reduce rising electricity and maintenance costs. Because the grant only covers replacing 850 lights, the City does not have the funds to replace any of the residential street lights with the LED lights at this time.

The existing amber (yellow) lights on the traffic signals listed on the streets below have been replaced with LED lights by Public Works crews as of June, 2011.

  • Vista Way
  • Vista Village Drive
  • North Santa Fe Avenue
  • Hacienda Drive
  • Melrose Drive
  • Sycamore Avenue
  • Business Park Drive
  • Shadowridge Drive
  • La Mirada Drive

For more information or questions, please e-mail info@cityofvista.com.