Naperville inching closer to start of special census
Applications are in, the U.S. Census Bureau is conducting interviews and Naperville is ramping up to conduct a special census beginning in late February or early March.
The city will count its residents in 58 census blocks on the southwest and northwest sides, where new housing has been built, in hopes of increasing its population and its share of three state taxes distributed per capita.
Although it comes only two years before the next regularly scheduled census in 2020, city officials estimate taking the count now could generate an extra $1.6 million.
To reap that revenue, the count would need to find an additional 4,650 people to add to the city's population of 141,853, as recorded in the 2010 census. A higher population would mean the city would receive more income taxes, local use taxes and motor fuel taxes.
Kasey Evans, community planner, said the deadline has passed for workers to apply for 240 temporary positions as crew leaders, clerical workers and census-takers, called enumerators, who will conduct the special count.
Census worker training is scheduled to begin Feb. 20 at an office space the city is renting to serve as a hub for the temporary workers, Evans said. Once workers are trained, they are expected to begin going door-to-door in late February or early March.
This timeline has fallen about a month behind what the city predicted in November when it put out a call to recruit workers. At that point, worker training was scheduled to begin Jan. 22, with the count beginning shortly thereafter.
The counting process is expected to take four to eight weeks.
This is Naperville's seventh special population tally in the past 18 years. During that time, its population has grown by 56,502 people - from 85,351 in 1990 to 141,853 seven years ago.
The city follows at least 27 others across Illinois that have conducted special censuses since the last decennial census in 2010, but it is the only community in the state taking a count this year.
Evans said the census is taking place in the late winter based on scheduling needs of the U.S. Census Bureau. She said she doesn't anticipate any issues with census workers and political candidates in the March 20 primary all going door-to-door about the same time.