The Lehigh Street Light District has sent its revised budget to the Lee County Board of County Commissioners for formal adoption. It provides for a millage increase from .0557 for the last two years to .1845 this year, a 231 percent increase.

The millage rate was decreased for the last two years in order to eliminate the excessive reserves which have now been completed.

Currently there is a cash balance reserve of $58,547 to make sure that there is money to cover expenses in the early part of the budget year when no tax payments are received.

There is also a reserve for contingencies in the amount of $69,046. This represents 10 percent of the annual electric bill. Currently there is a request for a raise in electric rates by FPL before the Public Service Commission.

Because this increased amount if approved was unknown at the time of making the budget the district must have additional money available to pay increased electric costs. There are also fuel surcharges that fluctuate with the market. The BOCC must approve any use of these funds during the budget year as an amended budget request.

Almost 97 percent of the budget goes to pay for the electric charges by Lee County Electric Cooperative (LCEC) and Florida Power and Light (FPL) which provides the service.

The district does not own the poles or lights but leases them from the electric company and pays the electric bill. With an increasing number of street lights, the cost has increased to almost $700,000 per year.

The district has no paid government employees. Its estimated total annual administrative expenses are $21,704. Thus the residents receive the streetlight service at a very low cost.

The MSTBU coordinator for the county reported that the district will “hold to the status quo” and the new budget will have the “same number of new installations of 275 as last year.”

She said that the district has about 3,500 lights in service. The committee approved 25 new lights and rejected six applications. Also approved was a special construction expenditure of $5,437.68 to provide lights at four school bus stops.

The light district is a municipal service taxing benefit unit under county government. It was established on January 15, 1992 to provide street lights for the Lehigh Acres area. The county commissioner for District 5 appoints a five-member advisory committee to administer the program as a subpart of the Lee County Public Resources Department.

When an application is received from a resident requesting a street light, a member of the committee reviews it and inspects the area to determine if the requirements have been met. The applicant must be the property owner. If the person is a tenant they must contact the landlord to file the request.

There must be three occupied homes that are within 400 feet of each other on the block. If there is a school bus stop a light is first placed at this location.

A resident can request a security light on their property at a minimal charge from their electric company.

A resident must contact the power company for repairs.

The district enters into a 10-year lease agreement with the power company. Thus the lights cannot be turned off at will without incurring liability for the balance of the term of the lease.

Commissioner Frank Mann appointed Edd T. Weiner to replace Gary Worchol as a committee member effective August 18, 2009 for the term expiring January 2011.

Weiner suggested that future approvals be restricted to tiers 1 and 2 as described in the new Lehigh Acres land use plan.

If this suggestion is accepted, those who live in the outlying areas (tier 3) of Lehigh Acres would be denied a streetlight even though they meet the basic requirements. It also raises the serious question of taxation without receiving the benefit for which the district was created.

Due to basic limit of taxation streetlights cannot be put on every block all at once. The BOCC established a general policy that service would be extended when enough houses were built on a block when the street light districts within the county were established and taxes were mandated.

A special workshop meeting has been scheduled for Friday, September 25 at the Veterans Park Community Center at 10 a.m.

The next regular meeting of the committee will occur on Monday, November 2 at 1 p.m. at Veterans Park Community Center. It is open to the public with open public comment.