At the April 10 Edison Village Council meeting, Joe Jakubick, representing First Energy, presented council with a proposed agreement for LED street lights for the village.

Jakubick spoke to council in August 2022 about the possibility of changing all lights to LED at one time at a cost of about $15,000 or of replacing street lights gradually one by one as they burned out.

Since council indicated it preferred changing as lights needed replaced, he said an agreement would be needed to begin the process.

There are presently 73 street lights in the village. Thirty-five are mercury or “white” lights, and 39 are high pressure sodium which appear “yellow.”

Jakubick said there are no longer mercury lights available, and all lighting will eventually transfer to LED lights within a few years.

Council members questioned if the lights would be uniform if they were replaced at different times. Jakubick said they most likely would all be the same since he sees they are uniform in other cities where they have transferred gradually to LED lights.

Jakubick said there will be an increase in the monthly bills from $499.74 to about $674. The yearly increase will be between $1,800 to $2,000. It may take some time to implement the plan as lights burn out and are replaced.

Council members received copies of the agreement to study for a final decision on moving forward.

Also during the meeting, council unanimously approved Edwin “Eddie” Bibler as village solicitor. He is replacing Attorney Bailey Higgins.

Bibler reported Higgins said she had taken care of the home nuisance complaint.

In other business:

• Village Administrator Mary Neviska reported the street crew has done debris and litter clean up along with patching some street holes and equipment maintenance.

• Mayor Patti Feustal asked for opinions on content and frequency of the village newsletter. She wants it to be cost efficient as well as getting out news in the village.

• Council member Kent Kanniard reported the inventory was concluded and was satisfactory.

• Council approved the street levy for the November 2023 ballot. The street levy is a replacement for 2 mills for five years. Council discussed how the levy is badly needed to keep up paving and street repairs.

• March bills were approved for $12,554.15. April bills approved for $13,795.56, which included payment to Mount Gilead for fire department services of $6,927.36.

The next Edison Village Council meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Monday, May 8, in the Municipal Building.

Alberta Stojkovic is a correspondent for The Morrow County Sentinel.