The board of township trustees may provide artificial lights for any road, highway, public place, or building under its supervision or control, or for any territory within the township and outside the boundaries of any municipal corporation, when the board determines that the public safety or welfare requires that the road, highway, public place, building, or territory shall be lighted. The lighting may be procured either by the township installing a lighting system or by contracting with any person or corporation to furnish lights.

If lights are furnished under contract, the contract may provide that the equipment employed may be owned by the township or by the person or corporation supplying the lights.

If the board determines to procure lighting by contract and the total estimated cost of the contract exceeds fifty thousand dollars, the board shall prepare plans and specifications for the lighting equipment and shall, for two weeks, advertise for bids for furnishing the lighting equipment, either by posting the advertisement in three conspicuous places in the township or by publication of the advertisement once a week, for two consecutive weeks, in a newspaper of general circulation in the township. Any such contract for lighting shall be made with the lowest and best bidder.

The board may also cause notice to be inserted in trade papers or other publications designated by it or to be distributed by electronic means, including posting the notice on the board's internet web site. If the board posts the notice on its web site, it may eliminate the second notice otherwise required to be published in a newspaper of general circulation in the township, provided that the first notice published in such newspaper meets all of the following requirements:

(A) It is published at least two weeks before the opening of bids.

(B) It includes a statement that the notice is posted on the board's internet web site.

(C) It includes the internet address of the board's internet web site.

(D) It includes instructions describing how the notice may be accessed on the board's internet web site.

No lighting contract awarded by the board shall be made to cover a period of more than twenty years. The cost of installing and operating any lighting system or any light furnished under contract shall be paid from the general fund of the township treasury.

Amended by 129th General AssemblyFile No.28, HB 153, §101.01, eff. 9/29/2011.

Effective Date: 09-26-2003; 09-21-2006; 2008 SB268 09-12-2008 .