About • Morley Field Historic Streetlights

The Benefits

The ornamental street lighting improvements are estimated to benefit parcels in the District in the following ways:

Aesthetics
The historic streetlights provide a unique neighborhood identity/ enhanced community image.

Public Safety
The spatial uniformity and densification of streetlights enhances public safety through illumination of roadways, sidewalks and property frontages.

The Process

A steering committee is being established to investigate, pursue, and recommend the creation of a Maintenance Assessment District (MAD) for historic-style streetlights to enhance and provide benefit to the proposed Morley Field District.

Street light improvements are classified as “special benefits” that are above and beyond the City’s standard level of service, and under assessment law only “special benefits” are assessable.

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What is a Maintenance Assessment District (MAD)?

In a Maintenance Assessment District (MAD), property owners within the district pay for and receive a “special benefit” of services above-and-beyond what the City provides.

Maintenance Assessment Districts (MADs) place an assessment on properties within the designated area to fund extra benefits such as street lighting for public right-of-ways. Street light improvements are classified as “special benefits” that are above and beyond the City’s standard level of service, and under assessment law only “special benefits” are assessable.

If you are the owner of property located within the district boundary, then a Morley Field MAD assessment will appear on your parcel’s property tax bill. . The money collected in the district is required to be spent in Morley Filed under the guidelines of a Master Plan developed with input from the community. The plan describes what extra benefits such as street lighting for public right-of-ways, will be installed in a designated area

Example of proposed streetlight.

View the lighting map here!

View the Parks & Recreation Department’s presentation on Maintenance Assessment Districts here.

Info on Maintenance Assessment District Formation:

10 KEY STEPS FOR ACCESSING DISTRICT FORMATION FUNDS

1. District Formation Committee:

The district formation committee should have broad representation of property owners or property owner’s representatives. The formation committee shall obtain input and support from a reasonable number of property owners, community organizations and other potential stakeholders regarding the formation committee’s outreach and district formation efforts. A point of contact shall be assigned by the formation committee to serve as the primary liaison for all district formation related matters.

2. Improvements, Activities and Boundaries:

The proposed improvements and activities shall be discussed and identified by the formation committee followed by the proposed boundaries. The proposed improvements, activities and boundaries will be used to assist the formation committee with the development and distribution of the survey and draft feasibility study.

3. Property Owners Addresses:

Upon request, the City may provide a list of property owners to the formation committee to allow mailing of surveys and notice of public meetings to all potentially assessed property owners.

4. Survey: Input on Proposal by Mail, Email and On-Site

Formation committee must distribute surveys to property owners within the proposed boundaries. It is recommend that the formation committee use the survey to try and obtain suggestions and/or ranking of improvements and activities that the district may provide. The survey will be reviewed by City staff prior to distribution.

5. Survey Responses: Comments, Support and Opposition

Formation committee shall try to receive survey responses from a measurable number (percentage) of property owners, of all types and sizes of property and land use categories. It is helpful for a majority of the surveys returned to include comments, suggestions, and/or statements of support or opposition.

6. Draft Feasibility Study:

Formation committee will draft a feasibility study after the survey results, and make the draft study available to the public. The draft feasibility study will be reviewed by City staff prior to distribution to the public.

7. Public Meeting: Comments, Responses & Input

The formation committee shall host a publicly noticed meeting within the boundaries of the proposed district. At the meeting, the formation committee shall articulate the need for enhanced services, review survey responses, present details of the draft feasibility study, and solicit additional input from attendees (written input preferred). If appropriate, the district feasibility study may be revised after the publicly noticed meeting based on property owner input, comments, and responses from the public meeting.

8. Letters of Opinion:

Formation committee shall obtain letters of opinion from all appropriate City Council Office(s). The letter of opinion shall show that the Council Member(s) has been informed of the property owners’ desire to form a district and shall include an opinion of the Council Member(s) as to whether or not he or she supports such an effort.

9. Letter of Intent:

Formation committee shall submit a letter of intent to Mayor’s Office and appropriate City Departments. Along with the letter of intent, the formation committee should include survey results, feasibility study, letters of opinion, and if desired, a formal request for City funds.

10. District Formation, Funding Request and Ranking Criteria: City Staff Review

If City funds are requested by the formation committee upon completion of steps 1-9, the funding proposal will be reviewed by City staff based on an objective and quantifiable ranking criteria. If City funds are granted, funds shall be limited to paying for the district management plan, engineers report, and balloting process.