Item No.
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER
BY: MATTHEW BAUMGARDNER, DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS/CITY
ENGINEER
DATE: AUGUST 26, 2025
SUBJECT: UPDATE ON THE RESIDENTIAL STREETLIGHT INSTALLATION PROGRAM
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City Council will receive and file an update on the first cycle of the residential streetlight pilot program. At its meeting of April 8, 2025, the City Council authorized staff to move forward with the installation of seven (7) solar streetlights on two blocks through a formal petition process. Since that time, staff has attempted to collect petitions from the property owners on two residential blocks through direct mailers, coordination with the block captains that initiated the requests with engineering staff, as well as several attempts to collect petitions door-to- door. To date, staff has had responses from 68.75% percent of the residents on the 10800 block of Cord Avenue between Fostoria Street and Cecilia Street and 37.5% percent of the residents on 7400-7500 block of Cecilia Street between Norlain Avenue and Wiley Burke Avenue. At the time of this report, the threshold of 67 percent has not been met to move forward with the pilot program on these street blocks. At its meeting of August 12, 2025, the City Council made a request for a future agenda item to update the Council on the residential streetlight petition process and to discuss the appropriate threshold to use for the program.
RECOMMENDATION
That the City Council:
1. Receive and file an informational update on the City’s residential streetlight pilot program; and
2. Discuss and provide direction to staff on any modifications to the program.
BACKGROUND
In 1978, the City Council adopted Lighting and Landscaping Assessment District (LLAD) 121.
The funds collected through this district are assessed annually on property tax bills to cover the costs related to operations of street lighting, traffic signals, and street landscaping. The previous process for adding streetlights on residential street blocks involves homeowners petitioning the City and collecting signatures to demonstrate a two-thirds majority to incur the initial capital costs of $5,000 per homeowner for construction, as well as the ongoing annual
UPDATE ON RESIDENTIAL STREETLIGHT PROGRAM
AUGUST 26, 2025
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costs of $21.41, and the operation of streetlights. If approved by two-thirds of homeowners on a block, both the capital costs (over a five-year period) and the operational costs (each year, in perpetuity) would then be added to LLAD 121. While the City receives requests to add street lighting on residential streets, the initial costs for installing lights of up to $5,000 per property have been a barrier to achieving the necessary level of support to annex the street block into the LLAD.
Given this cost barrier to adding streetlights, the City adopted a $50,000 pilot program to cover the capital costs related to purchasing and installing residential streetlights. Property owners on street blocks would still need to demonstrate a two-thirds majority approval through a petition process to add the annual costs related to streetlight operation to their property tax bills. It would also demonstrate to the City that there was a majority level of consensus among the neighborhood for adding streetlights, as not all property owners may want lights due to privacy or other aesthetic concerns. In 2024, staff began advertising and soliciting interest from residents throughout Downey to gauge overall support for adding street lighting and to better ascertain the costs related to adding streetlights in each scenario. A list of 33 of interested street blocks has been developed through this solicitation process.
ANALYSIS
At its meeting of April 8, 2025, the City Council authorized staff to move forward with installing seven (7) solar streetlights on two blocks as part of the first cycle of the residential streetlight program. The average cost to install these solar streetlights is approximately $7,000 per location, which results in a total estimated budget that falls with the initial $50,000 budget.
The Council also requested that staff take more of an active role in assisting the street blocks in circulating the petitions.
After receiving this direction, engineering staff put together engineered drawings showing the locations of the proposed streetlights on the two blocks. Staff then ascertained the addresses of all of the property owners for parcels on these blocks. A letter explaining the locations of the streetlights and a request to provide a “yes” or “no” vote on the addition of the streetlights to the blocks was then mailed out along with the engineered drawings. An explanation was also provided that the ongoing annual maintenance cost of $21.41 would be added to property tax bills if a two-thirds consensus threshold was met.
In order to simplify the submittal process, staff provided the option for property owners to submit their votes for the addition of streetlights by submitting a digital image of their response through email. Staff also visited the properties in person on July 18, 21, 26, and 28, 2025, and attempted to speak to the property owners to achieve participation in the process. Finally, staff coordinated with the block captain that initiated the request to add streetlights to assist by visiting and speaking with their neighbors regarding the petitions.
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Since starting the process in May 2025, staff has received a participation rate of 68.75 percent on the 10800 block of Cord Avenue and 37.5 percent on the 7400-7500 block of Cecilia Street.
Support for adding streetlights currently sits at 43.75 percent and 16.67 percent, respectively.
Next Steps
To date, staff has not received sufficient participation to complete the pilot study on the indicated streets. The current number of outstanding votes renders the studies as inconclusive, but this could change from increased participation from property owners. Staff has spent considerable hours in attempting to complete the studies. The pilot study has resulted in some discussion points for the City Council to consider in moving forward with the program.
• Establishment of a firm deadline for the submittal of petitions. There is currently no cut-off in the time to submit the petitions. The pilot study demonstrated the difficulty of getting a hold of the property owners. Establishing a deadline could lead to more urgency in returning the applications. The drawback could be a lot of failed applications due to insufficient participation.
• Discuss the threshold in use for establishing consensus among the property owners.
There is currently a two-thirds majority that is required to move forward with the application. Lowering the threshold could lead to more successful applications.
However, a drawback will be a greater number of property owners not in favor of the project.
• Determine whether to complete the existing two-block pilot study and/or move forward with an open first-come, first-served application process. Staff has put in considerable effort to date to run this study. Some of the information that has been learned through this process is that some property owners do not like the location of the streetlight in proximity to their property. Staff also reports that some property owners do not want to pay for the annual cost of energy of $21.41. Considering the effort over the last 3 months, it may be appropriate to end the study and open it up to the City, as a whole.
However, if the City Council decides to lower the threshold below two-thirds, it may be more fair to first apply the reduced threshold to the pilot study group.
If it is determined that the process should open up City-wide, staff will make clear to all participants that it will proceed on a first-come, first-served basis and only as funds are available each year to add streetlights. In addition to the $50,000 used to initiate the program, staff has access to an additional $150,000 in capital funds from the LLAD 121 account to expand the program. Other funding sources will continue to be explored in order to complete future residential streetlight projects.
CITY COUNCIL PRIORITIES
Quality of Life, Safety & Infrastructure
UPDATE ON RESIDENTIAL STREETLIGHT PROGRAM
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FISCAL IMPACT
A total of $200,000 is currently budgeted in the Fiscal Year 2025-2026 Capital Improvement Program (CIP) funds from the LLAD Street Light Improvement account to cover the installation of up to 28 solar streetlights in residential neighborhoods (breakdown listed in table below).
This would complete approximately 7 street blocks, including the initial 2-block pilot study.
Description Amount
Construction Contract (Estimated) $ 60,000
Contingencies $ 20,000
Solar Power Street Lights (with pole/panel/battery) $120,000 Total Estimated Project Cost: $200,000
There is sufficient fund balance for the recommended actions. The budgeted CIP funds for this project are designated as provided in the table below.
Account No. Funding Source Amount
23-1-6886 Citywide Streetlight Program $200,000
Total Project Funding: $200,000
ATTACHMENTS
None.