The assessment for Zone A of the San Diego County Street Lighting District will decrease from $13.50 to $10.00 per benefit unit.
A 5-0 San Diego County Board of Supervisors vote August 5 approved the new assessment along with the Engineer’s Report. The most recent increase in 2016 addressed rising electricity costs but also allowed for the completion of a phased retrofit of high-pressure sodium street lights to light-emitting diode bulbs which will be more energy-efficient, and the lower operating costs enabled the assessment to be reduced by 25.93% for Fiscal Year 2020-21.
The San Diego County Street Lighting District was formed in September 1987. The district itself includes the entirety of unincorporated San Diego County; Zone A covers parcels which benefit from street lights in the district while Zone B consists of the remainder of the district. The district maintains and operates 10,416 street lights, including approximately 3,780 which are owned by San Diego Gas & Electric, in residential areas and along major roadways.
Zone A covers nearly 100,000 parcels and more than 120,000 benefit units. In 1987 voters approved an assessment rate of up to $25 per year per benefit unit, with a single-family home equating to one benefit unit. The other maximum approved assessments are $850 per acre for commercial property, $150 per acre for institutional buildings, $50 per acre for industrial land, $25 per acre for recreational parcels, and $2.50 per acre for farm land.
The San Diego County Street Lighting District receives revenue from the base property tax and from interest on reserves as well as from the benefit assessment. The total Fiscal 2020-21 operating budget for the district is $2,715,403 including $1,324,445 for utility payments to SDG&E. The district will utilize $192,738 of reserves for Fiscal Year 2020-21 but will retain approximately $3.5 million in its reserve fund.
