A report headed to Essex council on Tuesday night has found the town's Christmas streetlight decorations are well past their useful life.
Mayor Sherry Bondy ordered the report on the condition and replacement cost of the decorations in Essex Centre and Harrow.
According to the report, the infrastructure in Essex is deteriorating to the point where some poles can’t safely hold snowflake decorations anymore.
In Harrow, decorations are in similar condition, with ongoing repair costs each year.
Administration is recommending the old decorations be removed until the final streetscape phase installs new electrical systems.
Bondy said residents take pride in their town and want decor to match.
"In Essex Centre, it's great in our downtown where there's new infrastructure, but, on the outside areas you can see the poles are really bad and the snowflakes there, they're going up and we're spending a lot of money," she said.
"I'm glad for council to have this conversation to say what do we want to do now, now that we have information."
Replacing all the old snowflakes in both cores would cost between $42,000 and $53,000 depending on the style chosen.
Bondy said that is a lot of money for the town.
"Both of our urban centres have different funding models," she said.
"There a BIA in Essex Centre that comes to the table and puts money into the downtown core. In Harrow, it's a little different. There's the Harrow & Colchester South Chamber. They don't have the money that the BIA has, so I think we have to think out of the box."
Bondy said funding could come from sponsorships or resident fundraising efforts as was done for the dog park.
"We know residents don't like tax increases, especially for beautification items, so this may be something, boots on the ground and we start doing fundraisers to make our town what we really want," she said.
Essex council will decide how to fund new decorations going forward during Tuesday's meeting at 6 p.m.
Bondy said it could be a year or two before items are replaced.
-With files from CTV Windsor's Robert Lothian