By MARCEL E. PACATTE: Publisher of the overly Journal, a weekly newspaper, he has a masters degree in Journalism from Northwestern University and teaches that subject at Lincoln Land Community College in Springfield.
Losers and gainers in population
Official Census Bureau reports show that
more than 180 Illinois cities and villages
had special censuses taken in the four years,
1971-1974, following the 1970 census. The
village of Schaumburg in Cook and DuPage
counties showed the biggest growth in
numbers, from 18, 730 in April 1970 to
36,944 in October 1974. In percentage
growth, Bolingbrook in DuPage and Will
counties led, gaining 234 per cent in four
years: the 1970 population was- 7,643 the
1974 population was 25,519 (see September,
"The growing pains of the Village of
Bolingbrook"). But sometimes a special
census shows a loss in population. Gaslesburg
in Knox County lost 1,789 population
between 1970 and 1971 and DesPlaines in
Cook County lost 1,645 between 1970 and
1973.
A SPECIAL CENSUS can mean extra income for a municipality, and it's easy to initiate and complete, according to officials in several central Illinois towns. Extra revenue comes through additional state motor fuel tax receipts, state income tax funds, and federal revenue sharing monies. Allocation of these funds is based on population.
How do you initiate a special census?
"That's easy," said Ralph Bouldin,
city clerk of Girard, a community of 2,098
(after its special census of 1975) located
in northern Macoupin County. Bouldin
directed a letter to:
asking for information. The bureau
replied asking for an authorization from
an elected official and an estimate of the
present population. Bouldin sent the
requested information and shortly
received an acknowledgement from the
bureau. Included were contracts to be
signed by city officials and a request for
five maps, one of which was to be
marked in red with the city's present
boundaries. On February 6, 1975,
Mayor Theodore W. Lay signed the
contract authorizing the census and
returned it to the bureau along with the
maps of the city, ordinances showing
any annexations to the city since the
previous census, and money to cover the
cost of taking the census.
How much, how long?
Bureau of the Census
Washington, D.C. 20233
Cost of a special census will vary
according to the size of the town, but
generally it is between $1,000 and about
$2,000. A portion of the cost is retained
in the community to pay the citizens
who will actually take the census. After
these materials are sent to the Special
Census Unit, Division of Population,
Bureau of the Census, in Washington,
the bureau sets a date for the census and
sends a representative to train and test
prospective census takers in the community.
The census itself takes no more
than a few days to complete. Results are
sent directly to the Illinois secretary of
state. This office then certifies the results
and forwards a copy to the city, the
Department of Local Government
Affairs, the Department of Transportation,
and seven other state agencies
which adjust the city's share of tax
revenues.
For Girard, the special census showed an increase of 217 persons, not much in numbers, but roughly an additional $4,300 annually to the city coffers — and don't forget that will total about $22,000 in additional revenue in the years before the 1980 census. February 6, 1975 to June 27, 1975, was the time required from request to certification for Girard, not much when compared to other more time-consuming projects.
And how they fared
Carroll Waganer, village clerk of
Pawnee in Sangamon County, reported
that his community paid $1,100 for a
special census in 1975 and found the
village's population had increased from
1,936 to 2,444. Waganer anticipates a 20
per cent increase in motor fuel tax
receipts alone as a result of the census.
"We decided to take our special census
now [1975]," Waganer said, "because it
was the halfway point between the
regular census years. We figured we
grew in size more during the first five
years of the decade than we would
during the last five years, so we initiated it,
" he said.
Harry Miller, city clerk of Virden in Macoupin County, reported a cost of about $1,800 for a census that showed an increase from 3,504 to 3,778 in population. ž
April 1976 / Illinois Issues / 23