Council presses staff on street-light placement as residents report dark spots

Lancaster City Council members on Tuesday pressed staff about persistent dark spots in neighborhoods and how new street lights are sited and paid for.

At the meeting the chair asked how requests for lighting are handled and whether the city directs the utility on placement. A staff member explained a cross-department street-light committee inspects reported locations, makes recommendations and meets with the utility. “They tell us where the lights are,” the staff member said, and the city pays for each pole and for electricity.

Council members described areas they believe are inadequately lit and asked staff for more specific reports so city officials can pursue installations where the utility—identified in discussion as Duke Power—has the infrastructure. The staff member explained some locations cannot receive new poles because the utility lacks the necessary infrastructure at those spots.

The chair recommended council members submit precise locations of concern so staff can prioritize requests and confirm whether the utility can install poles at those sites. Council members and staff also discussed options such as relocating underused lights, trading poles, and coordination with utility schedules.

The discussion did not produce a formal vote; the council requested follow-up reporting and more granular location data to guide future requests to the utility.