Aurora’s upcoming special census, which was originally set to begin in early February, has been postponed by the federal government as the U.S. Census Bureau awaits the installment of new federal leadership, city officials announced early Thursday morning.
City officials have previously said that they believe Aurora was undercounted in the 2020 decennial census, costing the city millions of dollars in lost tax revenue.
The 2020 decennial census showed that Aurora had a population of around 180,000, down from 197,000 in 2010, but city officials have previously said they believe the city’s population is actually closer to the levels found in the 2010 census.
“A complete and accurate population count is essential for securing the resources our community needs,” said Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin in a city news release. “We will continue to communicate with those at the federal level and keep our residents informed as we navigate this process.”
Last summer, the Aurora City Council approved an agreement with the U.S. Census Bureau to pay $1 million for the special census, but city officials previously said that it only needs to find around 1,000 extra residents to pay for itself.
The city loses about $4.3 million a year in shared federal and state funding due to the perceived undercount, which would mean $43 million for the full 10 years between 2020 and 2030, officials have said.
A special census kick-off event was planned for Thursday, but it was postponed after city officials were informed of the special census delay by the U.S. Census Bureau late Wednesday, according to Thursday’s news release.
The delay to the special census is temporary, the news release said, but no updated dates were provided. The census’ self-response period was originally set to begin Feb. 3 and end March 7, when the door-to-door count would have started.
Despite the delay, the city is still committed to an accurate recount of its population, which is “directly linked to millions of dollars in federal and state funding,” according to the city’s news release.
Clayton Muhammad, senior advisor to the mayor, told The Beacon-News on Thursday that the delay puts up “additional roadblocks” to connecting with the community through the special census.
“Our goal is to stay engaged with the community as best we can during this,” Muhammad said. “We hope it won’t be too long.”
The city has been promoting the Feb. 3 start date for months and had also set up a number of neighborhood events that, in addition to the kick-off event, have to be canceled, he said.
Aurora officials are making sure to stay in contact with federal legislators, lobbyists and the over 20 other communities around the nation that are in similar situations, according to Muhammad. He said the city is looking forward to relaunching its efforts “so that we don’t continue to lose millions of dollars in the next few years.”
City officials said in Thursday’s news release that they would provide updates as new information becomes available.
The U.S. Census Bureau did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
rsmith@chicagotribune.com