The Niagara Falls City Council has approved a two-year contract with a Scotsville firm to provide street light repair and maintenance as part of the city’s upgrade and takeover of its street lighting operations.
The deal also offers the city the option to extend the agreement for up to three additional years in one-year increments.
The contract was approved on a 4-1 vote, with council member Vincent Cauley (R) opposed. Cauley said he has been against having the city take over the operation of its street lighting system since his previous tenure on the council. He did not give a firm reason for his opposition.
The takeover is projected to save the city $700,000 annually on the cost of street lighting.
Action on the proposed contract with Power and Construction Group (P&CG) was postponed on Feb. 11, when Tim Huether, the president of United Steelworkers (USW) Local 943, which represents workers in the Falls Department of Public Works (DPW), raised questions about the use of an outside contractor to do work he claims can be performed by his members.
Acting City Corporation Counsel Thomas DeBoy told the council members that city workers have never performed maintenance or repair services on light poles that continue to be owned by National Grid. City officials also said that DPW workers lack the specialized training and equipment needed to provide street light repair and maintenance services.
“They have no experience with that,” DeBoy said. “They’ve never done work on National Grid poles.”
The cost of the P&CG contract will be subject to a variety of factors, including the number of repairs performed and the timing of the repairs, in addition to necessary materials. The city’s Purchasing Department said it received three bids for the contract and that P&GC offered the lowest unit pricing for performing maintenance and repairs on the street light system.
The Falls’ 2026 budget allocates $654,451 for street lighting. That budget line would include the cost of the P&CG contract as well as what has been described as a “nominal” attachment fee paid to National Grid for having the city-owned LED lights and other technology mounted on its power poles.
National Grid’s ubiquitous wooden poles will still be owned by the utility. The utility will be responsible for the repair and maintenance of the poles.
City consultants had previously said the cost of a maintenance contractor agreement would not affect their projected savings for the Falls from the LED conversion and the takeover of operations.
The Falls had been paying more than $1.4 million annually for street lighting. Consultants have estimated that the takeover of the street lighting system will reduce the cost by between 50% to 60%.
In August 2024, council members unanimously approved a more than $10 million project to upgrade and take over the operation of the city’s street lighting system. In addition to upgrading the lighting infrastructure, the city also looked to invest in what is known as “smart city technology.” Smart city technology involves the use of sensors in urban areas that collect data to better manage resources and provide services more efficiently.
That work was completed in 2025 using American Rescue Plan funds.