El Paso County approves $1.17 million residential street‑lighting plan for 2026–2030

El Paso County Commissioners Court on Aug. 21 authorized staff to use road-and-bridge special revenue to implement a five‑year residential street‑lighting capital improvement plan for fiscal years 2026–2030, seeking approximately $1.165 million to install residential, park and mailbox-cluster lighting across the county's four precincts.

The court approved the plan after a staff presentation that reviewed outcomes from the previous five‑year cycle and proposed updates to improve coverage, energy efficiency and safety. Public Works planner Jorge Morales said the previous plan had resulted in roughly 300 new streetlights in unincorporated county areas and emphasized the transition to LED fixtures.

Why it matters: staff and commissioners argued improved lighting increases nighttime visibility and safety around residences, parks and mailbox clusters. Funding would come from an existing road-and-bridge special revenue account; the proposal did not seek any new taxes.

Key elements of the plan presented by Public Works staff include:

- Annual installations: staff proposed funding authority to install 120 streetlights per year for fiscal years 2026–2030 (600 total over five years), an increase from a previously proposed 100 per year. - Projected scope: 351 residential streetlights, 123 mailbox-cluster installations and additional park lighting distributed across the four precincts; staff supplied precinct-by-precinct lists of target neighborhoods and parks. - Costs: staff reported an estimated installation cost of $1,700 per LED pole (up from $1,400 in the previous plan), annual energy cost of about $10.56 per LED fixture and an overall implementation estimate of $1,165,282. Staff also built a 5% annual contingency to account for rising material and installation costs and set aside funds for tree trimming where foliage creates safety concerns. The plan noted El Paso Electrics maximum cable run of approximately 160 feet as a technical constraint to placement. - Standards: the plan keeps established spacing standards (urbanized areas up to 300 linear feet between county residential lights; rural spacing no less than 1,300 feet) and a minimum fixture height of 15 feet; it adds park and mailbox-cluster lighting as priorities. - Eligibility/coordination: staff proposed expanding eligibility to municipal areas subject to municipal standards and added a mechanism for commissioners' offices to request site-specific installations.

Discussion: several commissioners pressed staff on equity and data for Precinct 2. Commissioners said the plan appeared to address many county neighborhoods lacking any lighting while noting that some city neighborhoods are less uniformly lit than maps suggest. Staff said they consulted precinct offices and integrated feedback from a June 26 special meeting; they noted they reached each precinct office but did not receive input from Precinct 2 staff in time for the presentation. Staff said the plan can be amended and that funds are set aside for "as‑requested" installations discovered after plan adoption.

Action: Commissioner Coronado moved to approve and adopt the residential street lighting capital improvement program FY 2026–2030 as presented by staff; Commissioner Odeen seconded. The clerk opened the vote and the motion carried. Staff will begin expending the special‑revenue funds in FY2026 as authorized and will work with commissioners' offices and El Paso Electric on scheduling and site verification.

Implementation notes: staff said the plan includes quarterly field checks with El Paso Electric to verify safe installation locations and will consider foliage removal where necessary. The plan also allows collaboration with municipalities for installations inside city limits, subject to municipal standards and billing arrangements.