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Council weighs options after LED streetlights draw neighborhood complaints
Summary
Residents told Milford City Council new LED fixtures are too bright. The council asked Rocky Mountain Power to consider a lower color temperature or shielding and discussed a longer-term option of buying poles to control fixtures.
Residents and council members raised concerns about LED streetlights installed on 900 South and nearby residential streets during the June 3 Milford City Council meeting. Homeowners reported new fixtures are brighter and intrusive; staff and council discussed short- and long-term responses.
Staff reported Rocky Mountain Power installed 4,000 K fixtures on 900 South; the company told staff it offers two color temperatures (3,000 K and 4,000 K) and does not provide dimmable options. Rocky Mountain Power also told staff that removing a fixture prior to the end of its contract would be the city's expense and would include labor plus remaining depreciation costs. The company indicated it is exploring a noninvasive shield that could be zip-tied to the fixture to limit glare.
Council members discussed interim fixes and broader policy choices. Short-term options discussed included requesting Rocky Mountain Power change the fixture to 3,000 K or swapping an older high-pressure sodium (HPS) fixture from elsewhere in town, and asking the utility to develop a zip-tie shroud. Several council members warned that relocating a fixture could move the nuisance to another resident. Longer-term options raised included purchasing poles and paying Rocky Mountain Power only for energy while the city owned and controlled the fixtures (citations were given to other municipalities that have taken that approach).
The council directed staff to ask Rocky Mountain Power to replace or reconfigure the light to 3,000 K as an immediate measure and to explore the shield option; staff also was asked to research the utility’s conversion program and the costs and feasibility of municipal ownership of poles/fixtures. No formal contract or ordinance change was adopted at the meeting.
Council members and residents asked staff to consider a comprehensive lighting policy so the city can evaluate placement and type of fixtures when replacements are needed, rather than addressing isolated complaints piecemeal.
Quotes from the meeting: - “We could move this one down into this vacant lot and see if they can switch the only problem is we might just be creating and moving our problem to somebody else,” said a council member during the discussion of relocation options. - “The best option would be to check the stickers on the new light fixture to ensure that it is only a 3,000 K wattage,” staff advised after speaking with Rocky Mountain Power.
Next steps: staff will request a 3,000 K replacement or shielding from Rocky Mountain Power and report back with options for a city-wide lighting policy and possible municipal ownership or conversion programs.
