Street light fee to increase

Columbia County residents who live in street light districts will see their tax bills increase.

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During the Tuesday meeting, commissioners gave final approval to a resolution raising the annual fee to operate street lights by $11.

Street light fees are levied each year against those residing within street light districts and are added to residents' property tax bills.

After an internal audit, officials decided to raise the fee for the first time in 16 years from $43 per household to $54.

Officials have said that the cost of running street lights is increasing, and those costs need to be passed on to the consumers. Already the county is operating the street lights at a $500,000 deficit, according to documentation.

Though some homeowners will pay more for illuminated streets, other property owners will be forgiven for not paying stormwater fees.

Deemed "uncollectible" by officials, more than $15,000 in unpaid stormwater fees will be purged from the county billing system.

Also at the meeting, plans to build a traffic circle at a busy Evans intersection were dashed by commissioners.

At $3.8 million, commissioners deemed the construction of a traffic circle at Gibbs and Hereford Farm roads too expensive.

It would cost county taxpayers nearly $2.2 million just to acquire the needed rights of way to build the traffic circle, according to county documents.

Instead, officials likely will keep the traffic signal currently guiding motorists through the intersection, which must accommodate the traffic generated by three nearby schools: Evans High, Evans Middle and Evans Elementary.

But officials have proposed instituting some improvements at the intersection, including adding sidewalks and a concrete island, at a cost of about $1.1 million.

To help facilitate the purchase of rights of way for road construction projects, the commission approved the hiring of a right-of-way acquisition specialist. The employee will earn $14.51 per hour and will receive a cell phone and car allowance.