Board approves CSA 10 streetlight assessment increase after ballots and public comment

The Kern County Board of Supervisors enacted an ordinance on May 13 to raise the annual assessment for County Service Area (CSA) 10'streetlight service from $32 to $52 per parcel for fiscal year 2025'26.

Public Works staff said the increase addresses a roughly $10,000 shortfall driven primarily by rising PG&E electricity costs. Assistant Director Adrian Nava and Public Works Director Joshua Champlin told the board that CSA 10 comprises 608 single-family parcels in the Roselle area near Coffee Road and Olive Drive and that the service area is served by 19 streetlights. Nava explained the Proposition 218 ballot process for lighting assessments and said Public Works mailed 608 ballots and conducted door-to-door outreach and a public information meeting on April 23 to explain the proposal.

At the hearing, clerk staff reported 81 ballots were returned: 11 in favor and 70 opposed. After the ballot presentation, county staff recommended that the board confirm a majority of returned ballots were in favor of the proposed assessment and enact the proposed ordinance; the board then voted to approve the staff recommendation by roll call: 4 ayes, 1 absent. The clerk recorded the vote as approved 4 ayes, 1 absent.

A resident, Vickie Moore, who identified herself as a CSA 10 property owner, said the nominal increase masks a roughly 61% rise in the assessment and urged the county to address the underlying cause: older high-pressure sodium lamps that are less energy efficient and are being phased out. Moore said LED replacements could reduce annual electricity costs for the CSA by an estimated $2,000 to $8,000, depending on fixtures and lumen requirements, and criticized PG&E for not prioritizing replacement of obsolete lamps. The board and staff responded that Public Works will contact PG&E to investigate LED upgrades and related costs and that the county has previously paid to upgrade lights but that PG&E generally requires the CSA to fund replacements.

Public Works explained that the current assessment produces approximately $19,000 in revenue while expenditures in fiscal year 2023'24 totaled about $29,400, of which roughly $27,700 went to PG&E. The proposed $52 rate was presented as a $20 annual increase (about $2 per month) that would yield an estimated $12,000 more in revenue to help cover utility costs and maintain service.

Nava told the board that this Proposition 218 process for streetlights uses returned ballots (instead of written protests) and that a majority of returned ballots must be in favor for the increase to be placed on the tax roll. He described Public Works outreach, including door-to-door contact, as contributing to a strong ballot return. The board directed staff to continue outreach and to contact PG&E about the lamp-replacement timeline and cost alignment.

Action: The board enacted the assessment ordinance and related resolution; vote recorded 4 ayes, 1 absent. Staff will pursue follow-up with PG&E about LED conversions and provide additional CSA Prop 218 hearings as needed to address other service areas.