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Streets In Nelsonville Could Be Left In The Dark

Faced with money problems, Nelsonville is thinking about turning of all the street lights.

City Manager Mark Hall said when voters rejected a tax levy last month, city officials were left with little recourse.

The light bill runs about 90-thousand dollars a year.

It was paid with a levy but the revenue ran out in 2010.

Then, said Hall, the money to pay for keeping the street lights on came from the General Fund.

That is no longer affordable, though, and that's why a new levy was put on the ballot.

Hall said before the city pulls the plug, officials want to look at the possibility of another source of revenue – an assessment on property owners.

And Hall wants to hear from Nelsonville residents.

They were promised that 100 percent of the levy would go for street lighting but Hall said maybe that message didn't get through.

Hall said going dark would cause safety problems and he doesn't want to do it but he says the city "is backed into a corner."

The lights will stay on for at least 60 days because the power company wants 60 day notice.

Hall hasn't given that notice, at least not yet.