PB officials troubled over shared ZIP code with White Hall

Monday, July 28, 2014

PINE BLUFF -- Several Pine Bluff aldermen are voicing concerns over a shared ZIP code between Pine Bluff and neighboring White Hall, saying that about 12,000 Pine Bluff residents are possibly being counted as residents of White Hall or rural Jefferson County despite U.S. Census Bureau assurances that's not the case.

The 2010 Census showed that Pine Bluff lost more than 6,000 residents since 2000, dropping from a population of 55,085 to 49,083. According to the 2010 Census, White Hall has 5,526 residents, up from 4,732 in 2000.

The amount of money cities receive each year from the government changes based on an official Census Bureau count. Cities losing people will also lose dollars, while cities gaining people will get more money to help pay for streets and city services.

Toni Pitchford, a U.S. Census official who has been taking questions from Pine Bluff officials on the topic, said the agency's data are gathered through a process using municipal boundaries that are measured with a global positioning system.

"Our data collection determines exactly which political boundary any given housing unit is located in, regardless of which ZIP code they are in," Pitchford said. "We know that some people who live in Pine Bluff receive mail that says White Hall on it, but it is the actual boundaries of a city that determines where you reside."

Besides the Census Bureau issue, Pine Bluff Alderman George Stepps said he's also concerned that some tax dollars are being attributed to the wrong area when a business operates in Pine Bluff but has a White Hall address. The Jefferson County tax collector's office has said that ZIP codes do not affect tax collections.

Stepps, along with Aldermen Steven Mays and Thelma Walker, recently formed a special committee to study the issue, because Mays said he has "received a lot of calls from residents who are unhappy about having White Hall mailing addresses when they live in Pine Bluff. Three-fourths of my ward [Ward 4] has the 71602 ZIP code."

Mays added, "Also, if someone is shopping online, and they live in Pine Bluff but have a White Hall ZIP code, that only merchant is going to attribute taxes from that sale to White Hall. And that's money we cannot afford to lose in Pine Bluff."

Two recent City Council meetings also included debate on adding physical addresses to some Pine Bluff crime statistic reports to clarify whether incidents took place in Pine Bluff or White Hall, but the measures failed both times.

The 71602 ZIP code at issue includes parts of Jefferson and Grant counties, with a 2010 population of 17,689 residents.

A town hall meeting to discuss the 71602 ZIP code issue is scheduled for 6 p.m. Aug. 7 at the St. James United Methodist Church in Pine Bluff.

However, Pine Bluff Mayor Debe Hollingsworth said she would like to see the issue die.

"There is nothing more to discuss about this," the mayor said. "We received our answer from the federal government that ZIP codes have nothing to do with population counts. I just don't understand why that isn't good enough."

Some residents who live in Pine Bluff but have a White Hall mailing address see the issue as more of annoyance than an actual problem.

Trudy Johnson said she is tired of explaining to people that she lives in Pine Bluff when they see her White Hall address.

"I need a tape recorder because I have to tell the same story over and over," Johnson said, laughing. "I think the post office needs to change it so that all Pine Bluff residents have Pine Bluff addresses. That's the only thing that makes sense to me."

State Desk on 07/28/2014