Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Census topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Urbandale approves $734,646 agreement for 2027 special census, staff says it could yield $2.1 million
Summary
The Urbandale City Council voted July 7 to execute a memorandum of agreement with the U.S. Census Bureau to fund a partial special census on April 1, 2027. City staff estimate the $734,646 cost will yield about $2.1 million in net revenue over 3½ years if counts increase.
The Urbandale City Council voted July 7 to authorize a memorandum of agreement with the U.S. Census Bureau to fund a partial special census, a city manager said.
City manager David told the council the estimated cost to the city is $734,646 and staff project roughly $2,100,000 in new net revenue after the Census Bureau is paid over about 3½ years. “We have, $734,646 is the estimated cost to conduct the special census,” David said during his presentation. The special count will be conducted April 1, 2027, and staff said the effort will focus on contiguous census blocks chosen to capture high‑growth areas, not to count every resident.
Why it matters: The city is pursuing the partial special census to increase the population base used in apportioning state and local revenues tied to population. According to David, the city’s decennial count was 45,058 and staff estimate current population nearer 48,000; the special census is a strategic investment to reflect growth that occurred since the decennial census.
What the council approved: The council approved the memorandum to begin payments and authorized staff to finalize the agreement. David said much of the cost is staffing provided by the Census Bureau and that unspent funds would be returned. He also told the council a budget amendment will be presented later; the funding split is expected to be roughly half from the road‑use tax fund and half from sales tax.
Questions from council centered on logistics and scope. One councilor asked whether the bureau would conduct door‑to‑door work and how long the operation will take; David said the process will include an electronic push and in‑person staffing that runs into the fall of 2027. Another councilor asked about the map of census tracts selected; David said contiguous block selection is required by the Census Bureau and was used to link high‑growth areas to the rest of the city.
What’s next: Staff will bring the budget amendment to the council in a future meeting and begin coordination with the Census Bureau so field operations can start on the planned timeline. The motion passed at the July 7 meeting.
