How was area lighting established in my community?

A clear explanation of how neighborhood area lighting evolved is necessary for establishing the proper context for a fair discussion around this topic. It basically works as follows:

Developer:

Developers design planned communities. During the design phase, their team determines the placement of streets, homes, walking paths, and other amenities – including lighting – in accordance with city, county, and state regulations.

Initially, your community developer chose SECO Energy to maintain your neighborhood area lighting and paid SECO Energy fees associated with this service.

HOA/Community District/Municipal Entity:

Once your community was established, the developer transferred the lighting service account to the entity charged with managing the fiscal affairs of your neighborhood. This governing body is likely either a homeowners’ association (HOA), a Community District, or other municipal entity.

Your community governing body is responsible for paying the monthly billing for area lighting service from SECO Energy. The community governing body determines how it will pass on these fees to homeowners within the neighborhood boundaries.

Members – Individual SECO Energy account holders:

For members who live in an area governed by an HOA, Community District, or Municipal Entity, costs for community services – such as area lighting – are passed to these homeowners. Your governing body determines how the fees are charged and passed to neighborhood residents. SECO Energy does not determine how the fees are passed to individual residents within your communities.