Streetlight Installation
The installation of new street
lights in a residential area is
initiated by petition of the area
residents (both property owners and
renters). Upon acceptance of a
successful petition, the City
Council will create a special
benefit assessment district for the
sole purpose of constructing street
lights, and will establish the
charges to be paid by the property
owners who derive benefits from the
improvement to their properties.
This information sheet outlines the
procedures followed in establishing
the assessment district, levying the
assessments, protests against the
assessments, and constructing the
street lights. Please review this
information carefully before signing
a petition. If you have any
questions or comments, feel free to
contact the
City’s Engineering and Street Services Division, at (310)
458-8721.
PROPOSED STREET LIGHT BOUNDARY AREA.
The petition form indicates the
boundaries of the proposed street
light construction for your area.
The exact locations of the
individual lights will be determined
after the petition is accepted.
THE PETITIONING PROCESS.
1. The petition will be circulated by
one of your area residents or
neighborhood groups. Only one
signature per residential unit is
allowed to be submitted for
consideration. The completed
petition must be returned to the
Civil Engineering Division by the expiration date
indicated on the petition, unless an
extension has been granted by the
City Engineer.
2. In order for the petition to be
accepted by City Council, signatures
must be obtained from occupants
representing AT LEAST 60% of the
total residential units in the
petition area. Examples of a
“residential unit” are a
single-family dwelling, an
apartment, or a unit in a
condominium complex. For
rent-controlled residential units,
the petition will be reviewed by the
City of Santa Monica Rent Control
Department to verify compliance with
the 60% signatory requirement.
3. Upon verification of the petition, a
preliminary engineering plan and
cost estimate will be developed.
ESTIMATED COSTS. Estimated cost calculations will be based upon the Engineer’s Report showing the general and special benefit of the improvement. The City would contribute the general costs and the property owners would pay the specific benefit amount. Historically, the City has made additional voluntary contributions to reduce the private assessment, however, this is not a guarantee and is subject to appropriation by City Council. Below are examples by property type, assuming a 50-foot frontage and a 150-foot parcel depth.
1. Single-family and multi-unit (single-owner) properties. Current assessment costs for street light construction are approximately $250.00 per lineal foot of street centerline. Therefore, the assessment cost estimate for a typical residential parcel with a 50-foot frontage and 150-foot parcel depth (7,500 square foot area) is expected to be $6,250. Assuming the general benefit was 5% and the special benefit was 95%, the City would contribute $312.50 and the property owner’s assessment would be $5,937.50.
2. Condominium properties. Condominium unit owners are charged for a portion of the street light assessment costs according to the area of the entire development parcel, divided by the number of units in the complex. For example, given a ten-unit complex with a 50-foot frontage and 150-foot parcel depth (7,500 square foot area) and current assessment cost estimates of $250.00 per lineal foot of street centerline, the total assessment cost estimate would be $6,250.00. Assuming the general benefit was 5% and the special benefit was 95%, the City would contribute $312.50 and the property owner’s assessment would be $5,937.50. Each unit owner in this example would be assessed one-tenth of the complex’s share ($593.75).
3. Non-residential property owners. Current assessment costs for street lights are approximately $250.00 per lineal foot of street centerline. For example, the assessment cost estimate for a non-residential parcel with a 50-foot frontage and 150-foot parcel depth (7,500 square foot area) is expected to be $6,250. Assuming the general benefit was 5% and the special benefit was 95%, the City would contribute $312.50 and the property owner’s assessment would be $5,937.50.
4. Tenants. Residential property owners may be authorized by the City of Santa Monica Rent Control Board to pass-through all or a portion of the costs for the street light construction to tenants. Costs will be divided equally among the total number of units in a complex, and will be paid monthly over a ten-year period. For more information about the rent pass-through, contact the City’s Rent Control Department, at (310) 458-8751.
RESOLUTION OF INTENTION.
Once the petition has been received
and reviewed by City staff, the
petition will be presented to City
Council, along with the initial
project cost estimate, for
acceptance. This presentation may
occur several months after the
petition was submitted because
several streets will be combined to
form one street lighting assessment
district. If the Council accepts
the petitions, it will then set a
public hearing for the formation of
street light assessment districts.
PUBLIC MEETING. Following acceptance of the petition,
property owners, residents, and
other interested parties will be
notified of a Public Meeting where
additional street light construction
and assessment information,
including Proposition 218, will be
presented by City staff. Diagrams
showing the planned locations of the
street lights will be available. In
addition, residents are given the
option to select, by majority vote,
from one or more alternative street
light styles.
PUBLIC HEARING. The City Council will hold a Public
Hearing on Proposed Street Lighting
Assessment District Actions after
the Public Meeting has been held.
Assessment ballots are tabulated
after the hearing and are weighted
by the proportion of assessment
amount for each property. The
assessment may proceed if over 50
percent of the weighted ballots
support the assessment. All
interested parties are given the
opportunity to express opinions,
protests, and/or concerns about the
planned street light construction.
Notices of the public hearing will
be posted conspicuously throughout
the proposed district, mailed to all
property owners and residents (using
the addresses from the latest Los
Angeles County Assessor’s Roll and
the Santa Monica Rent Control Data
Base Book), and published in the
California section of “The Los
Angeles Times” newspaper prior to
the Public Hearing. The Council
will consider all public testimony
prior to their decision to proceed.
VOTING PROCEDURE. In conjunction with the Public
Hearing notification, ballots will
be mailed to property owners to vote
"YES" or "NO" for the proposed
assessment. Each property parcel is
eligible for one ballot and one
vote. Ballots are weighted
according to the proportional
financial obligation of the affected
property, which means ballots with
higher financial obligations will
have larger weight than ballots with
lower financial obligations.
Ballots are tabulated after the
Public Hearing and only those
ballots received prior to close of
the Public Hearing will be counted -
ballots not returned are not
included in the tabulation. The
proposed assessment will pass if the
weighted "YES" votes equal or exceed
the weighted "NO" votes.
PROTESTS. If written protests against a proposed
street lighting assessment district
are made by more than one-half of
the property owners of any affected
street, City Council will withdraw
consideration of street light
installation on that street for a
period of no less than one year
following the Public Hearing, unless
protests are overruled (for public
safety considerations, for example)
by an affirmative vote of
four-fifths of the Council.
Alternately, if enough owners,
tenants, or occupants withdraw, in
writing, their names from the
petition that caused the initiation
of the proposed street lighting
assessment district, thereby
reducing the number of signers to
less than 60% of the residences on
that street, consideration of street
light installation on that street
will be withdrawn for a period of at
least one year following the Public
Hearing, unless protests are
overruled by an affirmative vote of
four-fifths of the Council. All
protests regarding a proposed street
lighting assessment district must be
filed in writing in the Office of
the City Clerk before the hour of
the Public Hearing. Each protest
must contain a description of the
property involved in the protest.
STREET LIGHT CONSTRUCTION.
After the City Council has made a
decision to proceed with the work,
the City will finalize the
engineering plan, solicit bidders
for the construction, award the
construction contract, and commence
construction.
PUBLIC HEARING TO CONFIRM COSTS.
When the construction contractor has
completed the work, and after all
charges and costs have been
determined, the City Engineer will
calculate the final assessment
amounts. At this time, a Public
Hearing to Confirm Construction
Costs will be held by City Council
concerning the performance of the
work and the costs. Notices of this
Public Hearing will be mailed to
property owners and will be
published in the California section
of “The Los Angeles Times” newspaper
prior to the Public Hearing. The
Council will consider all public
testimony prior to their decision to
approve the assessments.
METHODS OF PAYMENT. After the assessments have been
recorded with the County, an invoice
will be mailed to each property
owner within the assessment
district. If the invoice you
receive is for $150.00 or less, you
must pay the assessment amount in
full within 30 days of receipt of
the invoice. Any balance unpaid
after 30 days will be collected
through the L.A. County Assessor
property tax process. If the
assessment is more than $150.00,
payments may be made in full within
30 days of receipt of the invoice
or may be made over a period of
ten years. Bonds will be issued for
the unpaid amounts (over $150.00),
and a lien will be placed upon
the property until the full
assessment cost, including interest,
has been paid. Payments will be
made twice a year: principal and
one-half of the year’s interest will
be due on or before December 1; the
remaining year’s interest will be
due on or before June 1. The
interest rate will be determined by
the City Treasurer. No early
payment penalties will be assessed.
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