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Council introduces ordinance to proceed with citywide streetlight assessment for 2025
Summary
Council heard staff explain the next step in the citywide streetlight assessment process and introduced an ordinance to proceed with assessing property owners for 2025 lighting costs; final assessment ordinance will follow after required steps with the county auditor.
The Xenia City Council on April 10 introduced an ordinance to proceed with a citywide streetlight assessment for tax year 2025, the next step in a multi-step process that requires notice, an opportunity for objections, and final assessment adoption.
City Manager Merriman told council the process began with a resolution of necessity the council approved Jan. 23 and that required notices were published and certified letters sent to any property owner whose estimated assessment exceeded $500; no objections were received during the objection period. Merriman said the 2025 ordinance will only cover the annual lighting cost for 2025 and that the city’s current lighting contract with Miami Valley Lighting expires at year-end, with a new contract under negotiation.
Merriman said staff’s review estimates the city currently spends $243,000 annually on streetlights and cited RC 7 27.12 as the statutory authority. He reported the city is responsible for 2% of the associated cost and said staff’s estimate of a citywide assessment is $238,140 to be proportionally divided among property owners based on the percent of tax value for each parcel. Council members asked clarifying questions and the mayor introduced the ordinance for first reading.
Merriman said staff expects to complete certification with the county auditor by late July or early August and that the final assessment ordinance will come back to council for adoption following the required steps.
