Salt Lake leaders consider charging new fee to keep streetlights shining

SALT LAKE CITY — Keeping streetlights shining in Salt Lake City may cost residents a few extra dollars per month.

Mayor Ralph Becker has proposed a street-lighting fee that would fund operation, maintenance and upgrades for more than 15,000 street lights.

Under the proposal, an additional $2.29 street-lighting charge would be added to residents' monthly utility bills. Businesses would pay $41.53 per month for every 75 feet of street frontage.

City leaders in recent years have allowed mid-block streetlights to remain dark when bulbs burned out as a way to save money during lean budget cycles. Residents complained, and the mayor and City Council vowed last year to make street lighting a priority.

"It was a concern to city residents who lost lights near their homes," said Art Raymond, the mayor's spokesman.

Becker's plan calls for the city to create an enterprise fund for street lighting, which would keep funds collected for that purpose separate from other city money. That means property tax dollars would no longer be used for street lighting.

"It would ensure a consistent, long-term funding stream for our city's streetlight system," Raymond said.

It also means that properties that don't pay property tax — such as state, county and local government buildings, as well as churches — would be asked to pay their share to keep streetlights operating.

"In some ways, it's a more equitable way to deal with lighting in the same way we do with utilities, where it's a fee paid for services as opposed to a property tax," said Soren Simonsen, Salt Lake City Council chairman.

By treating street lighting more like a utility, Simonsen said, all those who benefit from the service would contribute to the cost to provide it.

City officials and consultants presented the proposal to the City Council during a work session Tuesday. There are still several questions that must be answered before the City Council considers implementing the fee, including whether it would result in a property tax reduction to city taxpayers.

The fee would generate an estimated $2.8 million in its first year, city officials said. Most of that would go toward operating expenses, though about $450,000 would be available for street-lighting upgrades or future needs.