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Board hears inventory of over 60 nonworking street lights; council seeks a procedure to reduce wasted payments
Summary
Council members reported identifying more than 60 street lights that are not functioning, estimated at roughly $350 per light annually (about $21,000 total), and discussed whether to require Liberty to provide a numbered map or to create an internal procedure for nighttime checks.
An alderman told the Carl Junction Board of Aldermen that she and her husband cataloged more than 60 street lights across several wards that are not working and asked the city to develop a procedure to address payments for nonfunctioning fixtures.
The council member said the lights carry a flat annual fee (about $350 per light) and calculated "that's $21,000 annually worth of lights that we've already identified." She asked staff to determine whether Liberty (the pole owner) could provide a map of poles with numbers or whether the city should create a procedure for inventory checks so the city is not paying for nonworking lights.
Staff described the existing process: when residents call the office, staff uses the pole number to notify Liberty's street-lighting contact. Council members suggested options ranging from asking Liberty for a mapped inventory to assigning staff or a part-time worker to check lights at night and to remove private lights from the list.
Next steps: staff will continue the inventory work the alderman began, determine ownership (public vs. private poles), and report back with a recommended procedure to reduce ongoing charges for nonworking street lights.
