Frequently Asked Questions

Reporting Street Lighting Malfunctions Malfunctioning streetlights should be reported to the City of Sidney utility office at 308-254-5300 or online at www.cityofsidney.org. When reporting, you will need to identify and/or locate the pole by the nearest address or intersection it serves. Under normal work/weather conditions minor street light repairs such as bulb, fuse and head replacements typically will be repaired each week on Fridays. Major repairs such as conductor replacement or underground utility work may take up to 3 weeks to repair. There are over 1,400 street lights within the city limits, so repairing/fixing may be delayed due to weather conditions. We strive to get them repaired/replaced as soon as possible.

Electric costs are rising every year for several reasons. The cost of the raw materials (coal) for use in the power plants and the costs associated in transporting that coal from the mines to the power plant increase every year. New federal environmental regulations are being passed every year which creates a large amount of overhead cost for the wholesale power producers. Also consider that over the last five years, transmission costs (the cost of getting electricity from the power plants to customers) has risen over 90%.

The City of Sidney keeps our cost of electricity as low as possible, however, we can expect an approximate increase of 4-6% each year for the next five years, mostly caused by governmental regulations.

Most of the city's overhead electric system is between 50 and 60 years old. An overhead system is more susceptible to storms, wind damage and critters on top of poles than an underground system. The city is working to convert its overhead system to underground to eliminate as many power interruptions as possible beginning with areas of town that do not have alley access to power lines and poles.