Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Special Census Funding topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Mayor says 2020 undercount cost Aurora about $4.3 million a year; city pushes 2026 special census to restore funding
Summary
Mayor John Lash told the city’s Call Me John program that Aurora was undercounted in 2020 and is losing roughly $4,300,000 in federal appropriations annually; the city is running a 2026 special census focused on new construction to correct funding and inform planning.
Mayor John Lash said the city was miscounted in 2020 and estimated Aurora is “losing about $4,300,000 a year in federal appropriations” because of the undercount. He described the 2026 special census as the most important initiative for the city this fall to correct funding levels and avoid program cuts or higher taxes.
On the city-produced program Call Me John, host John Zagloul noted the city believes it was undercounted by about 17,000 people in 2020; panelists said that discrepancy helps explain lost federal dollars. Lash and Chief of Staff Shannon Cameron said accurate population counts feed strategic planning — from police and fire staffing to grant eligibility for schools and nonprofits — and that restoring correct counts will make it easier to staff departments and avoid passing new taxes to residents.
Shannon Cameron said the special census will not be a full citywide recount but will concentrate on new-construction tracts that meet the Census Bureau’s contiguous-tract requirement. The team expects final results to take time: Shannon said some figures may not be available until a year after the count, with a fuller tally likely early to mid next year. “It’s really important that we get this right, to correct our funding,” Lash added.
The panel urged residents who receive mailers with unique household codes to fill out the online form promptly to reduce follow-up visits by federal enumerators.
