Representative Stevens, who carried the legislation at the state level, told the Smyrna Town Council on April 1 that House Bill 0780 and Senate Bill 0875 would let Tennessee “reapportion” certain state-shared revenues more frequently using annual population estimates.

"When I first got into politics, I was taught that the best ideas come from people back at home, and this is 1 of those," Representative Stevens said, describing an idea he discussed with Mr. Santucci that led to the bills. "It's going to save a ton of money with these special Census projects that are going on everywhere."

Why it matters: Town Manager Dave Santucci told the council the town had planned a special census this year and budgeted roughly $135,000 for it. Council members and staff said using annual counts instead of commissioning a special census would avoid that expense while providing more frequent updates to population-based state-shared revenue allocations.

How it would work locally: Stevens said the Boyd Center at the University of Tennessee (the Boyd Center) can produce neighborhood-level population and demographic estimates from existing data. "They already can draw a circle around the neighborhood and tell you how many people live there," he said, adding the estimates are not exact but often close enough to avoid costly special counts. He also said municipalities could still choose to conduct a special census to challenge estimates if they disagree.

Council reaction and local next steps: Town staff and council members said they expect to abandon the town's planned special census if the governor signs the legislation. "I think once the governor signs it, absolutely," one council member said during the workshop. Town managers said Murfreesboro had already canceled a special census for the same reason.

What was not decided: The council did not vote on any formal measures during the workshop; members directed staff to place the item formally on the May agenda as needed and to monitor the governor's signature and implementing guidance from the state.