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Second Class Township Code

 

Article XX

Street Lights

 

Section 2001. Lighting.

 

The board of supervisors may light and illuminate the highways, roads and other public places of the township and remove, alter or improve lighting as may be appropriate and in the best interests of the township and make contracts for securing and maintaining a supply of light.

 

Section 2002. Street Light Districts.

 

(a) The board of supervisors may provide streetlights and make regulations therefor within the township or within any district of the township established by the board of supervisors for that purpose.

 

(b) Upon receipt of a petition signed by seventy percent of the property owners within any defined area of the township, the board of supervisors shall establish the defined area as a lighting district or include the defined area within an existing lighting district and shall provide public lighting within the area.

 

(c) The board of supervisors may contract with electric, gas or other lighting companies to light and illuminate roads and highways and other public places with electric light, gas light or other illuminating substances.

 

Section 2003. Costs.

 

(a) The board of supervisors may pay for the cost of public lighting by any one or a combination of the following means, whether the installation of the lighting was initiated by action of the board of supervisors or by petition:

 

(1) From the general fund.

 

(2) Through uniform annual assessments made upon benefited properties on the foot-front basis.

 

(3) By uniform annual assessment upon each property benefited.

 

(4) By an equal assessment upon each property benefited, based upon the assessment for county tax purposes.

 

(5) By any combination of the above methods or other equitable means of assessment as the board of supervisors may determine.

 

(b) If public street lighting is currently in existence and is being paid for by a certain means or method, the board of supervisors may alter or amend the means of assessing the cost of the lighting.

 

(c) Properties are subject to assessment for this purpose, whether or not the property is exempt from taxation by existing law.

 

(d) If the foot-front method of assessment is used, the assessment shall be by equal assessment on all property in proportion to the number of feet the property fronts on the street or highway or portion thereof to be lighted. The board of supervisors may provide for an equitable reduction from the frontage of lots at intersections or where, due to the irregular shape of lots, an assessment of the full frontage would be inequitable. No assessment shall be made against any farmland, but vacant lots between built-up sections, whether tilled or not tilled, are not farmland. The assessment for each foot front against vacant lots shall be only twenty-five percent of the assessment for each foot front against property with improvements.

 

(e) All annual assessments for streetlights shall be filed with the township tax collector under section 3301(a). The assessment may be billed on the annual real estate tax bill for general township purposes if authorized by the board of supervisors.