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JACKSON COUNTY, OREGON
ROADS DEPARTMENT
200 ANTELOPE ROAD 
WHITE CITY, OR 97503 
(541) 774-8184

September 23, 2023
You are here : Roads  >  White City Lighting District
White City Lighting District
metal lighting poleHistorically, street lighting in White City primarily consisted of only a small number of luminaries situated along Highway 62 and in scattered sections of newly developed subdivisions where lighting was paid for by homeowner associations. This level of lighting was deemed by the citizens of White City to be inadequate in terms of providing a safe environment for nighttime vehicular traffic, pedestrian safety, and discouraging criminal activity.
 
As a response to this problem, the Jackson County Board of Commissioners and the citizens of White City moved to place the formation of the lighting district on the November 2004 ballot with a permanent maximum tax rate of $0.47 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. Voter approval of the District allows it to collect and allocate tax dollars towards funding the ongoing operation and maintenance cost of the street lighting system. In this capacity, the District will serve as the acting street lighting utility service provider. In total, the White City Lighting District covers 3,532 acres.
 
The engineering and construction of the street lighting system was done primarily by the Urban Renewal Agency of Jackson County. The Urban Renewal Plan provided for the installation of a public street lighting system upon voter approval of a permanent levy for operations. Program administration duties, including fiscal administration and field maintenance for the District was transferred to the Jackson County Roads and Parks Department effective July 1, 2010. Since July 2010, many maintenance repairs have been completed, and the amount of lights functioning correctly has increased.
 
The establishment and ongoing operation of the White City Lighting District continues to serve as a testament to the dedication, vision, and sense of community pride demonstrated by the Jackson County Board of Commissioners and the citizens of White City.

Private Development/Standards
 
Given limited funds, the Urban Renewal Master Plan required that private developers be responsible for the installation of streetlights when their improvements front public streets. This requirement helps to offset the cost of providing adequate street lighting coverage in the District and promotes consistency in respect to street lighting standards. The District will fund necessary compliance checks to make sure lighting standards are maintained during development.  The WCLD Developer Standards PDF is linked below.

Existing Street Lighting
 
The cost of providing power to existing street lights within the District is funded by property taxes collected from the voter-approved permanent levy. As a result, street lighting accounts previously held by homeowner associations and other citizens are rolled into and paid for by the District.
 
What Are The Boundaries Of The District?
 
The district is bordered roughly by Highway 140 near Highway 62, east to Atlantic Ave, north to Avenue H, west to Highway 62, south to Avenue G, west to Pacific Avenue, south to Antelope Road and east to Hwy 62 near Highway 140 again.  If you have a specific question about district boundaries please call our office at 541-774-8184.
 
How to Report a Street Light Out – Most Importantly – Where is it?
 
In order to report a street light out, it is important to get an accurate location so crews can repair the light in a timely manner.
 
We identify lights by the pole ID they are attached to.  This is the best way for our crews to locate the correct pole and light to work on.  Some lights are mounted on poles owned by Pacific Corp, and other poles are district owned with a simple code which includes a street name abbreviation and a pole number.
 
If you do not have the pole identifier, please refer to the nearest intersection, address, or any other identifying features. Call 541-774-8184 and give this information to us or fill out our "Report-A-Problem" form on the website.  We will repair the light as quickly as possible.
6/30/2022 2:43 PM