SIMI VALLEY : City Paves Way for Street Light Refunds

Hundreds of Simi Valley property owners will receive refunds between $23 and $2,621 as a result of the city’s decision to sell 837 street lights to the Southern California Edison Co.

The City Council unanimously approved the $519,000 purchase agreement with Edison at its meeting Monday.

City staff determined that it would be cheaper to pay Edison an annual fee to maintain the lights, officials said. Edison already owns more than 83% of the city’s 6,495 street lights.

The purchase agreement covers light poles, conduits, conductors and other hardware that translates into an average sale price of $624.10 for each street light, according to a staff report. The sale does not include lights attached to traffic signal poles.

Of the 837 street lights, 153 were constructed through assessment districts. The remaining lights were constructed by residential developers who passed the cost on to home buyers, city officials said.

While $422,513 from the sale will go directly into the city’s general fund, the rest will go to assessment district property owners.

Hundreds of Wood Ranch homeowners will receive refunds of between $30 and $267. A few property owners in the city’s west end industrial area and homeowners living near the intersection of Royal Avenue and Corto Street will receive refunds of between $23 and $2,621.