Parsons city commissioners will consider a new policy that would allow residents to pay half of the cost for a street light when a request is made for the placement of a light.
The commissioners on Monday directed city staff to establish a policy for consideration at their next regular meeting on March 18.
The issue came up as the commission was discussing a request from Robert Montee for a street light near his property on a dead end in the 3700 block of Morgan Avenue. Montee said there are suspicious vehicles sometimes parked at the dead end.
The city has an unwritten policy to place street lights at intersections only, but commissioners can stray from the policy for special requests such as Montee’s.
Commissioner Kevin Cruse said he favored Montee’s request but that the city needs to be diligent about why and where it places street lights. Although Westar Energy charges the city only about $10 per light per month, Cruse noted that the total for all lights around town adds up to around $150,000 a year, an amount equal to about three mills in property tax.
Commissioner Peter Cook said he wasn’t opposed to the placing a light near Montee’s property, but residents should pay for half of the cost of a light when they request special placement.
(Read more: Parsons Sun)