Poll: Does Cost Justify Turning Off Tulsa Highway Lights?

By Emory Bryan, The News On 6

TULSA, OK -- The City of Tulsa has turned off 4,500 of the 6,500 lights along highways, but is working on a plan to turn some of them back on.

Under the plan, it would require the fixtures to be replaced with more efficient models.

Take part in a NewsOn6.com poll on this at the bottom of this story.

Terry Simonson, Chief of Staff for Mayor Dewey Bartlett, told the City Council Tuesday morning there was grant money available to retrofit some of the lights and that restrictions on the money meant it couldn't be spent for any other purpose.

2/12/2010 Related story: All Tulsa Interstate, Downtown Street Lights Likely To Be Turned Off Due To Cuts

Simonson said the city could use $1.6 million in third penny sales tax money, and a $1 million federal stimulus grant.

Simonson said the third penny money was designated for energy efficiency projects and that not a dollar of it had been spent yet.

It was approved by voters in 2006.

"I don't know what we've been waiting for, but we're not waiting any more," said Terry Simonson.

The money is not part of the general fund, which supports police and fire salaries.

In the last few weeks, the city applied for and was accepted into a "Model Cities" program through PSO.

The electric utility company provides cash incentives for cities to pursue energy efficient retrofits.

Simonson said the city had already received a $6,000 payment through the program for work at just two sites.

"These checks and new revenue will start happening this year, from a source we've never had before" said Simonson.

Simonson said even though money was available for the retrofits, it would not be enough to replace all the fixtures, and the city would still have to find money to pay the bill for energy usage.

Simonson said with all the lights on, Tulsa was spending $400,000 annually to power the lights, and since turning most of them off, it is spending $150,000 annually.

Simonson said Mayor Bartlett will announce next week more plans to pursue energy efficiency projects using grant money.

12/3/2009 Related story: Stimulus Grants Fund Cities Going Green