Mike
You forgot one other point. Ms Judy stated that the Highland Historic District will be applying for the same program so all the taxpayers will get to pay part of their electric bill also.

I was very, very disappointed (but not surprised) withthe denizens of City Hall during tonight’s discussion of the so-called “periodlighting” for South Main Street.

First, they keep referring to these phony gas lamp postsas “period lighting” when research shows that there was no such street lightingduring any period in South Main Street’s history.  If they want “period lighting” they musteither install the lights on their own property at their own expense (includingpaying for the maintenance and utilities themselves, as The Sorgs and someothers did in ye olde days) or they should have no lights at all.  That would be TRUE “period lighting” for thearea.

Next, we were informed that they will now be keeping thecobra-head fixtures!!!  This means thatthere will now be no “deduct” (or savings) for the utilities and maintenance ofthese fixtures, so ALL of the ongoing costs for the phony decorative lamps willbe and ADDED cost to the taxpayers!!!

Gilleland tried to downplay the ongoing costs by statingthat “the City” annually pays for “thousands of street lights” to the tune of$700,000 (plus) per year, implying “what’s a few thousand more every year?”  Well, if four or five thousand dollars a yearout of our shrinking reserve fund means nothing to her, it is time to look fora new city manager.  There is still nojustification for the citizens of Middletown to spend thousands of dollars everyyear just to satisfy the “dream” of a few connected residents, including aDirector at City Hall, the Mayor, and the Mayor’s parents.  (Pssst: Here’s a clue, Judy:  As much as you might want to think otherwise,the “city” IS we taxpayers!!!  Youdon’t have ANY money unless you first take it from US!!!)

Also, If the City Manager would be more careful about EVERY$5,000 of our money she spends, perhaps she wouldn’t be proposing tax increasesand fee hikes every time she turns around.

Ms. Mort needs to do a bit more deep thinking aswell.  She stated that this was “similarto a tax levy for the schools”.  Sorry,Ms. Mort, but this is NOT similar to a tax levy for theschools!!!  EVERYONE gets to vote ona tax levy for the schools, including the people who will have to paythat levy.  In this case everyonedid NOTget to vote—just those who will get the benefit got to vote, NOTthose who will pay the ongoing utilities and maintenance.  Also, the schools benefit the ENTIRECOMMUNITY.  The phony decorativelights benefit only a select few property owners on a short stretch of a singlestreet.

Landen was flat-out wrong when he said that there couldbe no “extras” during the construction for these lights, only for the concretework for the curbs, gutters and sidewalks. There is very likely to be construction, extras due to the installationof the underground conduit for these lights, separate and apart from theconcrete work on the curbs, gutters and sidewalks.

Then Ms. Mort declared: “The American way is the majority rules!”  I can live with that!  So let’s let the entire city vote on whetheror not to have all of the taxpayers of the city pick up the bill for theelectrical and maintenance costs for these decorative lights.  Then let the “majority rule”!  As it stands now, only those who have achance to benefit got a chance to “vote”.

Finally,no one bothered to mention that the very same result could be obtained if everyproperty owner who so-desired had the lamp posts installed on his/her ownproperty outside the public right-of-way (just a few feet from where they arenow proposed, on the other side of the sidewalk).  They could each be responsible for their owninstallation costs for as many, or as few lights as they desire (including NONEfor those property owners who wish to keep their property historicallyaccurate), and they would then each be responsible for their own utilities andmaintenance.  The street view and curbappeal would be identical, and the rest of us taxpayers would be left out ofit!!!

What could be more fair and just than that???