In a brief regular meeting on Tuesday, the Cortez City Council tabled a vote on whether to install streetlights on North Edith Street, after some residents complained.
According to a memorandum by Public Works Director Phil Johnson, more than half the residents on the street signed a petition asking for two 100-watt streetlights to be installed at the Melrose and Acoma intersections. Two residents wrote letters to the city complaining about the idea, and Johnson said several others had not offered feedback at all. The council voted to table the issue until more information was available.
The North Edith Street residents who wrote to the public works department said they didn’t want the streetlights to light up the night sky.
Johnson said the city’s latest streetlight installations, on Andrew Lane and 13th Street, led to similar complaints from residents. The city usually installs lights at the request of one group of residents, and doesn’t go out of its way to contact those who didn’t sign the request. Johnson suggested that should change.
“We think that maybe we should be engaging the entire neighborhood with either a letter or something so we can get the input from them as well,” he said.
Several council members agreed. Mayor Karen Sheek suggested that Public Works set a deadline for resident feedback. Johnson and City Manager Shane Hale said they would work together to come up with the best way to get public input on the idea.