North Jefferson News, Gardendale, AL

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August 27, 2010

Kimberly cuts off 86 street lights to save money

By Ben Montgomery The North Jefferson News

KIMBERLY — Kimberly town officials have chosen 86 street lights to be cut off in an effort to stay within  budget.

Kimberly Mayor Craig Harris said the lights chosen for cutoff are mostly redundant; many of them are located close enough to another light that cutting it off will not pose a safety hazard.

“Of course, we’re having to review the choices again for the sake of public safety,” said Harris. “But, this is 86 lights out of 450. That’s a lot for four-and-a-half square miles.”

Kimberly receives $2,400 a month from Jefferson County to pay for the street lights. However, Harris said the power bill for the street lights alone was totaling $4,800 to $5,000 a month over the past six years. He estimates cutting off the 86 lights will bring the monthly bill down to $3,000.

“Then we’ll cut more. We have to stay under budget,” he said. “In the past, maybe at one time, we could afford it. But, not anymore.”

The decision to cut the lights initially came in February, when the city took several measures to save money in the tough economic climate, including cutting city employees’ working hours down to 32 a week.

“We’re doing all this to keep from having to lay somebody off,” Harris said. “I’d much rather get rid of some lights than get rid of a police officer or court magistrate.”

Harris said anybody who wants a street light turned on can pay for an $8 monthly subscription with Alabama Power.

"We were actually one of the few municipalities left that pays for all the street lights,” said Harris. “Alabama Power is going to be removing the lights from the poles. But, if you want it turned back on, give them a call and they will come right back out and screw it back in.”

Harris said Kimberly is not paying for street light service right now; he said he informed Alabama Power about the street lights that needed to be cut off, but nothing was done for months.

“Alabama Power dragged their feet and kept sending us $5,000 power bills. We told them we weren’t going to pay the bill until they acted,” he said. “Now they’re going to pro-rate the bill back to February.”

Keisa Sharpe, a spokeswoman with Alabama Power, said residents can call (800) 245-2244 for more information about getting a street light subscription.

“For any individual homeowner who would like to get a street light, we can get them in touch with an engineer,” Sharpe said.

She said several cities have cut back on paying for lighting in order to save money.

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