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City of Huntington Beach
File #: 21-794 MEETING DATE: 10/19/2021
Submitted by Councilmember Posey - Evaluate the Feasibility of Monetizing City Owned
Street Light and Traffic Signal Pole Infrastructure
I recommend that the City Council direct the City Manager to evaluate the feasibility of monetizing
our vertical infrastructure assets through use of private sector partnerships.
City of Huntington Beach Page 1 of t Pnnted on 10/13/2021
CITY OF HUNTINGTON BEACH
CITY COUNCIL MEETING — COUNCIL MEMBER ITEMS REPORT
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
FROM: MIKE POSEY, CITY COUNCIL MEMBER
DATE: OCTOBER 19, 2021
SUBJECT: EVALUATE THE FEASIBILITY OF MONETIZING CITY-OWNED STREET LIGHT AND
TRAFFIC SIGNAL POLE INFRASTRUCTURE
In 2016, the City acquired over 10,800 streetlights from Southern California Edison and
retrofitted them with energy efficient LED technology, which will save an estimated $10 million
in energy costs over twenty years. Additionally, the City owns and manages around 3,000 other
streetlights, 2,000 park and parking lot lights, and 500 traffic signal poles. Overall, the City owns
an overall estimate of 16,500 lighting and traffic signal poles throughout Huntington Beach.
Existing law allows communications companies to use municipal electric utility poles for their
wireline / wireless "small cell" facilities. In recent years, both the Federal Communication
Commission and the State of California have passed regulations which requires that local
governments work to make vertical infrastructure (such as light poles, streetlights, and traffic
lights) located within the public right-of-way available for private sector use.
Based on those regulations, we currently have small cell programs deployed on 46 pole facilities,
through which the City receives around $67,385 /year in revenue. Given our existing experience
in this arena, and with the potential to earn additional ongoing revenues, I am requesting that
City Council consider directing staff to conduct a feasibility assessment to identify private-sector
partnership through which the City could further monetize its vertical infrastructure assets.
RECOMMENDED ACTION
I recommend that the City Council direct the City Manager to evaluate the feasibility of
monetizing our vertical infrastructure assets through use of private sector partnerships.