MIDWEST CITY — Residents of Midwest City soon will be paying a fee every month to help keep the streetlights turned on.

City council members passed an ordinance in March that adds a streetlight fee to residential and commercial utility bills, beginning in July.

“Lighting the streets in this town is a big deal. I've been here since 2000, we've been discussing ever since I came here, ‘What can we do to save money on the street lighting?' It just continues to escalate, the expense of it,” Community Services Director Vaughn Sullivan said. “We've discussed everything from turning off every other light, to eliminating some arterial lighting.”

Previously funded through the city's general fund and street department's utilities accounts, street lighting now will be paid through a “streetlight fund” that will increase monthly utility bills for homes and businesses starting July 1.