CC SR 20200218 K - Street Lighting Policy
CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: 02/18/2020
AGENDA REPORT AGENDA HEADING: Consent Calendar
AGENDA DESCRIPTION:
Consideration and possible action to direct Staff to proceed with negotiating an
agreement with Harris and Associates to help develop a citywide street lighting policy
RECOMMENDED COUNCIL ACTION:
(1) Receive and file an update on the development of a citywide street lighting policy
and direct staff to negotiate an agreement with Harris and Associates to develop
a City street lighting policy.
FISCAL IMPACT: None at this time
Amount Budgeted: N/A
Additional Appropriation: N/A
Account Number(s): N/A
ORIGINATED BY: Ron Dragoo, PE, City Engineer
REVIEWED BY: Elias Sassoon, PE, Director of Public Works
APPROVED BY: Ara Mihranian, AICP, Interim City Manager
ATTACHED SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS:
A. Harris & Associates Streetlight Policy Study (page A-1)
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION:
In August 2017, the City Council authorized the purchase of streetlights from Southern
California Edison (SCE) following a policy change that gave local governments the
opportunity to purchase SCE-owned streetlights. On June 3, 2019, the City acquired
1,754 streetlights from SCE. This streetlight acquisition enabled the City to convert them
to light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and provided for ongoing maintenance of the street lights
owned by the City, which has resulted in substantial savings in electrical and
maintenance costs.
The City Council’s 2019 Goals and Action Plan included a goal to identify and establish
a funding mechanism and program for neighborhoods wishing to install streetlights for
safety purposes. To that end, Staff reached out to Harris and Associates, which
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provides services to the City regarding our Landscaping and Lighting Maintenance
District (LLMD).
Harris and Associates is familiar with the typical components of local agencies’ street
lighting policies, and provided a study summarizing the scope of work to develop such a
policy for the City (Attachment A). Additional research will be needed to provide the City
Council with options to consider in establishing a policy for the installation of new
streetlights in residential areas, including research of the City’s ad valorem funds to
better determine if the formation of a new LLMD is required or if annexation to the
existing LLMD is allowable. Based on the research, high-level policy options will be
developed, including (but not limited to):
Identifying current policies adopted by other agencies for the addition of new
street lights in existing neighborhoods
Reviewing options for funding the installation of new streetlights in existing
residential areas (e.g., upfront payment for installation, annexation into the LLMD
or other options)
Assessing impacts on the City’s existing LLMD
Developing of a City street lighting standard
After completing this research, Staff will present the City Council with findings and
options, including any necessary modifications to the Municipal Code, existing policies
and funding options.
If the City Council chooses to proceed as recommended, Staff will begin negotiations
with Harris and Associates to develop a City street lighting policy. A professional
services agreement will be presented to the City Council at its April 7, 2020, meeting,
including identifying a funding source for the work. The draft policy would be expected
later in 2020.
ALTERNATIVES:
In addition to the Staff recommendation, the following alternative action is available for
the City Council’s consideration:
1. Take no action.
2. Take other action as deemed appropriate by the City Council.
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22 Executive Park, Suite 200, Irvine, CA 92614 p: 949.655.3900 f: 949.655.3995 WeAreHarris.com
January 23, 2019
Mr. Ron Dragoo, PE
Principal/City Engineer
City of Rancho Palos Verdes
30940 Hawthorne Boulevard
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275
Re: Street Lighting Policy Options
Dear Ron,
Per your request last month, we have researched street lighting policy options for consideration by the
City Council. This memo will outline the options to be taken to Council on February 18, 2020.
In accordance with our scope of work, we have reviewed the street lighting policies that have been
adopted by several Cities. The following outlines what we found, and the options that can be included
in the presentation to be given to Council.
Research:
We first looked at 12 Cities in Los Angeles and Orange Counties based on their size and population to
narrow down the research group. The Cities that we initially looked at included:
Azusa, Carson, Diamond Bar, Downey, El Monte, Laguna Beach, Monterey Park, Palmdale,
Pasadena, San Gabriel, Santa Clarita, and West Covina
Upon additional review, not all of the above had documentation readily available regarding street
lighting policies that the City had adopted, that might be useful for the City of Rancho Palos Verdes. We
therefore focused on the following cities:
Downey, Laguna Beach, Palmdale, Carson, Diamond Bar, and Monterey Park
In reviewing the street lighting policies for those cities and our experience in working with other cities in
Orange and Los Angeles County, we found that their street lighting policies typically address two (2)
different situations regarding the installation of new street lights. The first relates to the installation of
new street lights for new development, while the second relates to the installation of new street lights
in developed areas that do not have street lights or the level of lighting is less than City standards.
In the first case, the cities surveyed all require new development projects to install new street lights
which meet City standards as a condition of approval. Several of the agencies have adopted by
reference Los Angeles County’s standards for street lighting which define minimum lighting levels and
spacing based upon street classifications. All costs associated with the planning and installation of the
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City of Rancho Palos Verdes
Street Lighting Policy Options Page 2
street lights is paid for by the developer. The cost related to the on-going operation and maintenance
of the street lights typically depends upon on how the agency funds the maintenance of other lights
within the community. If the City funds the operation and maintenance cost of streets lights within the
community, then the City assumes those costs upon acceptance of the new street lights. If the City has
established an assessment district to fund street lighting, then any new development is required to
annex into the existing assessment district or establish a new district to fund the operation and
maintenance of the street lights.
In the second case, if an individual property owner requests new or additional street lights in an existing
development, the agencies surveyed typically require that the property owner submit a petition signed
by adjacent property owners requesting the installation of additional street lights which demonstrates
that there is consensus amongst the property owners that they desire to have additional street lights
installed. The agencies surveyed all require that the property owners requesting the additional lighting
pay for the installation of the new street lights. Several of the agencies allow property owners to pay for
this over a period of several years if they are part of an existing assessment district or annex to an
existing district. Other agencies require the property owner(s) to pay upfront for the installation of the
new street lights, especially where the local agency assumes responsibility for the ongoing operation
and maintenance cost of the new street lights.
Options for consideration:
In all cases there is reference to internal Standards or Municipal Code sections outlining the process, the
first step is going to require formalizing a process. The options include:
1) Create and Adopt a “new” detailed City standard – this will require more research to determine
all the steps required.
2) Modify your Municipal code to specify the use of the County standard process
The option selected will also stipulate the cost recovery method and any other up-front negotiations
that are arranged with the developer or interested parties as well as the need to form a new district or
annex into the existing district.
It is important to note that additional research will need to be done on the existing Ad Valorem funds
the City receives in the lighting district to determine if a new formation is required instead of annexation
to the existing district.
Ideally, the existing lighting district will continue to fund the improvements being maintained and any
new additions will be fully funded.
Additional Notes:
Most cite illuminance criteria established in the American National Standard Practice for Roadway
Lighting, Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (ANSI/IESNA) and/or other county standards.
Most also include: minimum/maximum illumination standards for residential and commercial on
arterial and collector roadways; pole types and location standards must also be pre-approved. One of
the Cities not included (not in California) had a provision for spare replacement part inventory from the
contractor prior to the City acquiring the new lighting system. We found that to be an interesting
concept to consider.
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City of Rancho Palos Verdes
Street Lighting Policy Options Page 3
Conclusion:
The initial phase of this research was to determine what policies other Cities have and how they handle
new street light requests by a resident or for a new development in order to determine what actions or
policies are appropriate to be adopted by Rancho Palos Verdes.
The Cities that have their own policies and standards have been in place for some time or have been in
the making for some time. Because the County standard is referenced or the City website includes links
to County processes, it would appear that would be a potential option that could be put into place
without the additional time and effort by staff our outside sources to develop a City plan.
There are other considerations that could impact the viability of the County standard, such as
topography and coastal issues but that was not part of our initial research so we are merely pointing out
there may be additional City specific requirements to consider in conjunction with the County standards.
We will prepare the presentation to Council upon your review and direction.
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