City Council - December 8, 2025

Council advances lighting rules with an 11 p.m. curfew

The City Council voted 6–1 to advance a dark-sky outdoor-lighting ordinance with an 11 p.m. curfew for nonessential lighting, moving the revised measure toward a second reading. The ordinance is intended to reduce light pollution while preserving lighting needed for safety, access and late-night operations.

Under the adopted motion, language making a building permit a condition of applicability would be removed. The council also changed a two-year deadline to one year for existing fixtures that can be adjusted and deleted mandatory five- and 10-year retrofit deadlines. Staff said substantial remodels would still trigger compliance, but existing outdoor lighting would not face a broad, time-based retrofit mandate.

The council directed staff to align curfews for roof decks and other outdoor spaces above the ground floor with the ordinance’s general curfew instead of retaining a separate 10 p.m. standard. It also asked the Utilities Department to evaluate efficiency incentives for voluntary fixture retrofits and asked staff to develop objective compliance standards that could reduce the need for costly lighting studies. For businesses, the motion kept a two-hour allowance after closing but reduced the allowance after a space becomes vacant to one hour.

Staff said entrances, walkways, driveways, parking areas and access points would retain exceptions needed for safe movement, and 24-hour facilities could keep necessary safety and security lighting. City streetlights and roadway lighting would remain outside this ordinance; staff said a comprehensive streetlight replacement could cost more than $10 million, and councilmembers discussed reviewing city lighting separately through a phased approach.

Public testimony largely supported stronger dark-sky standards to protect wildlife, human health and night-sky visibility, while business and property representatives warned about costs, safety and enforcement. Debate also focused on a proposed exemption for 57 Edgewood-area properties. Staff said those properties would remain subject to curfews and prohibitions on certain lighting, while some councilmembers questioned whether a neighborhood-specific exemption was equitable.

Staff is expected to return with revised language for a second reading and prepare educational materials. If adopted on second reading, the ordinance would take effect on the 31st day afterward.

Oversized-vehicle item clears consent calendar amid concerns

The council approved the consent calendar, including item 4 concerning oversized vehicles and RVs, despite Councilmember Lithgow-Hames’ stated opposition to that item. She argued that limited regional towing-lot capacity could hinder practical enforcement and said the city had not made enough progress on safe parking.

She cited a projected budget above $7 million, including more than $4 million associated with potential citywide signage and $400,000 for 22 additional safe-parking spaces. The signage figure was discussed as a possible cost, not a committed expenditure. Public commenters offered competing views: some called for tighter restrictions because of sanitation, visibility, traffic-safety and business concerns, while others questioned enforcement costs, legal concerns and the shortage of safe-parking alternatives.

Primary sources

Watch the meeting on YouTube · Read the official meeting agenda