City public‑lighting board warns of year‑long repair waits, seeks new revenue and studies

The Board of Public Lighting told the City Council Budget and Finance Committee on the sixth day of budget hearings that resident wait times for streetlight repairs have lengthened to months and the board needs substantially more money to preserve services.

Miguel Sanglar, director of the Board of Public Lighting, said the board’s average repair time is “entre 8 a 9 meses” after a request and that by fall some repairs could take up to a year. He described rising theft and vandalism costs and said the board’s analysis shows it needs “más de 100000000 de dólares anualmente” while it currently receives roughly “45” million dollars.

Why it matters

Street lighting is a basic public‑safety and city‑operations service. Longer repair times and deferred maintenance increase safety risks, raise liability exposure and can push costs higher over time. The board asked the committee for memoranda and special studies, and discussed a potential public funding…