Feds halt Aurora census that was to start next week
A special census in Aurora that was scheduled to start next week has been put on hold by the federal government.
The U.S. Census Bureau told city officials Wednesday that all special censuses nationwide are being delayed, pending the installation of new federal leadership, according to an announcement from the city.
Last week, the innovation and strategy director for Aurora posted on her personal Facebook page that an event to hire part-time workers for the census had been canceled at the last minute due to a federal hiring freeze.
Volo and Wheeling also were planning to do special censuses this year.
“There is no good reason for the special census to be postponed, and the delay will likely cost Illinois taxpayers millions of dollars,” U.S. Rep. Bill Foster said in an email.
“This is one more example of useless and incompetent chaos from the Trump Administration,” Foster added. “An accurate census count is essential to determine fair representation and ensure Aurora receives its fair share of federal funding.”
He says he is working with U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood and city officials to get the special census activities resumed.
The Aurora City Council approved a $1 million contract in July to pay for the special census. That money was to be paid to the federal government in advance of the census. The announcement did not say whether the city had sent payment in.
The special census was to focus on the central part of the city — not the entire city.
Aurora sought the census because it disagreed with the results of the 2020 census, which said the city had lost 17,000 residents. Population numbers are used to calculate a variety of things, including funding for programs and establishing political boundaries.
· Senior writer Katlyn Smith contributed to this report.