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No city for White City Photo by Bob Pennell Danielle Ross, 6, and Robin Rouhier, 8, make good use of Burns Park in White City in Tuesday's sun. The park is one feature of the unincorporated area residents point to with pride. Leaders say potentially tax-rich area is just fine unincorporated By DAVID PRESZLER WHITE CITY -- Young families playing together in Burns Park while older couples stroll its paths. Residents banding together to save -- and operate -- a community pool. These are things that encourage Judi Burns and others who've worked to build a sense of pride among the residents here. "You never saw that in White City before," says Burns, president of the White City Community Improvement Association and, with her late husband, Max, the couple for whom the park is named. "There weren't any sidewalks, any parks, any places to go." A decade of organized community activism and eight years of urban renewal are bearing fruit in White City, at 6,850 people Jackson County's most populous unincorporated area. But despite a temptingly rich potential tax base and a growing desire -- and capacity -- for autonomy, no formal movement toward incorporation is under way, community leaders and county officials say. So why isn't White City rushing to become a city? Why should it, Burns and others say. "It seems like we have everything now," Burns says, pointing out that the streets are being improved and cleaned, the park maintained and the community protected by law enforcement. "People make an assumption that every community should be incorporated," says Jackson County Commissioner Sue Kupillas, who -- like Burns -- is credited with spearheading improvements in White City. "You have to have a reason for existing as a city rather than an unincorporated area." The chief reason for incorporation would seem to be a rich tax base -- fueled by a huge industrial presence -- that could be a gold mine for funding city services. Assuming the city boundaries followed the those of the current urban renewal district, White City would have the third-richest tax base per capita of any city in Jackson County, based on 1998-99 assessed values and 1998 population figures. But, for now, there's a strong reason not to incorporate. "It doesn't work well with an urban renewal project," Kupillas says. The urban renewal project, launched in 1991, is scheduled to last 20 years -- meaning it has 12 years remaining, according to Burke Raymond, Jackson County's administrator and executive director of the urban renewal project. Urban renewal projects fund improvements through taxes and by borrowing against tax revenues from increased property values. Though county officials hope to complete the $85 million worth of projects early, the program isn't expected to end anytime soon. And incorporating before it does could throw a monkey wrench into urban renewal. The state law governing urban renewal differs for incorporated and unincorporated areas. Because it is unincorporated, White City was able to include five square miles in its urban renewal district, which helps business to grow in industrial areas and helps fund community improvements in residential areas. Incorporated cities with populations of less than 50,000 are allowed to have only 25 percent of their area included in an urban renewal project. So, depending on what boundaries it chose, White City's urban renewal district would likely have to shrink if it incorporated. And the current urban renewal project is drawing tax revenue from the entire county, Raymond says. If White City were to incorporate, the project would have to be returned to the voters and the burden would likely fall more heavily on White City residents and businesses. The urban renewal project is also fueling community projects because half of the increased property tax revenues generated by urban renewal projects are poured into community improvements, like the completion of Burns Park. Once those projects are finished, though, officials and leaders admit the incorporation debate is likely to heat up. "The next issue will be whether or not to incorporate," says Burns. "It's been talked about for many years." Raymond and Kupillas both say the county isn't pushing White City toward a decision. Raymond says incorporation wouldn't change the amount of taxes the county charges White City since the county tax rate is the same everywhere in Jackson County. The important thing, Kupillas says, is for the people who live there to shape their own future. And the residents are showing more interest in doing that. For example, they voted to establish a special law enforcement district (funded by White City residents) and a planning commission, though both are under the umbrella of the county's authority. Burns, a founding member of the White City Community Improvement Association, says there's no hurry to rush into incorporation and the issue needs further study -- especially the financial aspects. "I don't think anyone has researched it enough to give the citizens information to make an informed decision," she says. In the meantime, she says the current effort has brought results. "It's amazing what we've done in 10 years," says Burns, a White City resident for 28 years. "I'm pretty proud of what's taken place. Ten years ago, I didn't admit to living in White City. I used to tell people I lived near Eagle Point. If you said you lived in White City, people looked at you as if you were a low-income druggie. Now people are buying homes with the intention of staying." At the two elementary schools, student turnover rates are falling. A decade ago, as many as half the schools' students would move during the school year. Now, a more respectable 25-30 percent do. "It's a lot more stable than it was," says Bill Jones, who spent 21 years as principal of White City Elementary before being named superintendent of the Eagle Point School District (which includes White City) earlier this summer. Burns and others are optimistic that White City is maturing quickly enough to tackle city government tasks like budgeting and setting up decision-making processes should incorporation come. "White City is growing up," says Kupillas. "It's very much like a child growing up." When -- or whether -- that child will step completely out on its own remains to be seen. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA