Plan is seeing opposition on many fronts
Talent’s proposal to create a new urban renewal district is generating a lot of opposition. [Mail Tribune/file photo]
Talent City Council is receiving an unprecedented amount of input on the creation of a new Talent Urban Renewal District, most of it in opposition.
A series of Facebook posts detailing the impact a new district would have, including the loss of nearly $17 million in tax revenue for both the city of Talent and Jackson County Fire District 5 over the next 30 years, may be driving some of the entry.
On June 29, the Talent Urban Renewal Agency board approved moving the creation of the new district, intended to help rebuild after the Almeda fire, to the city for consideration. The City Council will hold a public hearing on the plan on August 17, with a possible vote for adoption on August 24. The agency is in a consultation period with 11 tax districts that would be affected by a new district.
Talent City Registrar Héctor Flores said he hasn’t seen any input at this level on any other issue since he started working in January 2021. As of Thursday afternoon, the city had received 16 written comments on the creation of the new district for the August City Council. 3 meeting Of these, 15 opposed the creation. For the July 20 council meeting, comments were eight against and three in favor.
Flores said he has met with seven people, all of whom are opposed to the district. City Manager Jordan Rooklyn had met with five people Thursday. In addition, City Council workers are referring phone calls asking for information about the proposal to the City Council and TURA web pages.
“They come with concerns, especially with fire safety. The vast majority come with questions to better understand what the impacts will be. We’re getting more emails every day,” Rooklyn said. Details on how the district would affect the city’s finances will be given at the Aug. 3 meeting.
Former Talent resident Nancy Buono, after being asked by citizens, has created seven posts on TURA and the proposed district for the Talent Oregon Facebook group. They cover topics such as why the district is in such a hurry, how many people are affected and how TURA has worked.
“This is going to affect them. When you have (District 5) Chief Hanley (Charles) and all of our firefighters and the fire union saying don’t do this, I don’t know why the City Council isn’t listening. They’re ignoring the experts,” he say Buono “I feel sorry for the people at Talent for 30 years.”
Fire District 5 has mailed out information about the plan’s impact and how to provide input to inform the 23,000 residents it serves. The district covers Talent, Phoenix and much of rural southern Jackson County.
Copies of the draft plan and a letter on how to provide input have been sent to the 11 taxing districts, as required by Oregon statute, said Rooklyn, who also serves as TURA’s executive director. Comments on the plan must be received by August 14 and will be considered by the council, which can accept, reject or modify the input, which would become part of a creation ordinance.
“I’ve been getting a lot of requests for more information as they figure out how they’re affected and what kind of feedback they’d like to provide,” Rooklyn said. Agency representatives have met with the Jackson County Board of Commissioners and the boards of the Rogue Valley Fire District, Library District and Transportation District.
Urban renewal districts earn tax increase funding from improvements after values are frozen on a certain date, and overlapping taxing districts receive no increase. For TURA’s proposal, the value of the 212-acre district would be frozen as of Jan. 1, 2001, when much of the land was bare after the Almeda fire. The reconstruction of the area since that date has already increased the value.
The agency held a mandatory informational meeting July 19 with county commissioners, where they explained the proposal and answered questions. Commissioners and County Administrator Danny Jordan expressed concern about the impact on the district.
Delaying the district’s creation by a year would result in a maximum district debt of $58.8 million instead of $62.5 million if it were created this year, consultant Elaine Howard said. The lost amount could be recovered by adding a couple of years to the district’s end date. A delay would mean the agency would initially have $4.2 million to work with over a couple of years instead of $7.7 million.
Asked how much value is returning to the tax rolls with new construction in the proposed district, Rooklyn said $35 million is expected this year based on single-family home values. He worked with the county assessor to determine that number.
“When you look at the $35 million assessed value that’s going to come back, it’s really a lie to our taxpayers … that it’s not going to be allowed to go on the tax records of the taxing district,” said County Commissioner Colleen Roberts.
“The state has already invested tens of millions in this disaster recovery. We know we have the CDBG grants. You’re looking at just over $200 million coming into the area. … Of that, $13 million they are for business recovery over the next four to five years,” County Commission Chairman Dave Dotterrer said. “What is the need to have this additional funding?”
Conditions will be attached to the federal community development grant money, Talent Mayor Darby Ayers-Flood said. Some of the funds may not necessarily help the recovery, he said. Even with aid, there could still be shortfalls.
Ayers-Flood noted that state statutes allow for urban renewal to deal with emergency situations and that grants are needed to help businesses. He said 68 businesses were destroyed by the fire, but only 11 have gotten permits to rebuild.
“You’re taking a big chunk that all these districts were counting on for their recovery to use for your recovery. You’re not doing what other people are doing,” Jordan said when Ayers-Flood claimed the TURA’s action would be similar to what other urban renewal districts in the area are doing.
“All input will be weighed into whatever decision is made. It’s not a foregone conclusion,” Ayers-Flood said at the end of the session.
Contact Ashland freelance writer Tony Boom at tboomwriter@gamil.com.
