Committee reviews $2.3 million net plan to convert street and park lights to LED; parks allocation set at $600,000

City officials discussed a proposal to convert the city’s streetlights and park fixtures to LED lighting, including a budget request in the mayor’s draft that staffs said would be sufficient to cover the net city cost of the streetlight conversion and a smaller, phased allocation for parks.

The committee heard that the mayor’s budget includes $2.3 million net for a streetlight conversion (a $2.58 million financing amount less roughly $284,000 in predicted rebates) and $600,000 earmarked for an initial phase of park lighting conversions. William Franklin, a meeting participant on Zoom, said the project’s financing shows annual energy savings of about $100,000 and additional savings on the utility ‘‘investment charge’’ of roughly $56,000 to $160,000 depending on the line item referenced; combined, the presentation identifies roughly $150,000–$160,000 in recurring operating relief.

Why it matters: converting to LED could reduce the city’s energy and operating charges and reduce dependency on aging bulbs and ballasts, but aldermen pressed for clearer inventories, a parks‑specific scope and costs, and a follow‑up showing how far the mayor’s $600,000 would get the city in parks conversions.

Key details from staff and aldermen

- Inventory and scope: Staff said NES (the local electric utility) recently inventoried city streetlights and that the $2.58 million financing amount represents the full financing cost before rebate (staff described the $2.3 million figure as the net cost to the city after incentives). Parks staff said the total remaining parks conversion scope is roughly $3 million–$4 million, with about $1.5 million already spent, leaving roughly $4.0–$4.5 million inclusive of prior spending; the $600,000 allocation was described as only a ‘‘chunk’’ that would not complete parks conversions and would likely cover less than 25% of park fixtures.

- Financing and procurement: William Franklin referenced Tennessee procurement code (cited in the meeting as “12 4 1 1 0”), saying the state statute allows procurement of projects based on energy savings using qualifications‑based selection for professional services rather than competitive bid pricing. Staff said the larger streetlight amount in the mayor’s budget is included under the city’s unassigned fund balance (non‑operating) rather than as debt service.

- Rebates and vendor roles: The presentation identifies approximately $284,000 in incentives/rebates that reduce the gross financing amount; staff said the rebate source was discussed in the presentation but did not specify a long‑term guarantee. Musco was identified as a preferred sports‑lighting equipment provider for park fields; PATH was identified as a project manager used by NES; staff said Musco provides equipment but typically uses subcontractors for installation.

- Timing and contractor capacity: Staff warned there are very limited licensed installers in the state and that a full parks conversion of several million dollars could take two to three years to complete depending on subcontractor schedules, weather and parts availability. Staff also said material lead times and supply constraints for ballasts and bulbs are already affecting maintenance work.

- Next steps and board involvement: Committee members agreed staff should return with more precise inventories: (1) a parks spreadsheet showing how much of the parks inventory the $600,000 would convert and (2) a streetlight coverage estimate tied to the $2.3 million net figure. Staff said they will return with contractor options and that the appropriation in the budget does not itself authorize the conversion; an ordinance or separate approval step would be required for procurement and contracting depending on final procurement path.

Quotes

"You're saving a hundred thousand dollars on the energies component of your bill and 56,000, almost 57,000 on the investment charge," William Franklin said while presenting the spreadsheet of annualized savings.

"If NES starts requiring it, everybody's gonna jump on board and want it," an alderman said during the discussion about timing and contractor capacity.

Ending

Staff will supply a parks inventory showing the percentage of park fixtures that $600,000 would convert and will return to the committee with contractor options and cost comparisons. The mayor’s budget contains the requested funds, but the committee must still receive formal procurement and contracting information before work starts.