WASHINGTON — With jobs and federal aid at stake, U.S. cities are lining up to contest their 2010 census counts as too low.
A decade ago, there were 1,200 challenges filed by cities, towns and counties. The U.S. Conference of Mayors is predicting a big jump in that number, due in part to tighter budgets that make local officials more sensitive to potential drop-offs in federal money for Medicaid and other programs.
Nearly $450 billion in federal aid is distributed to states based on population each year, or roughly $1,500 per person.
Cities have two years to contest their counts under the Census Bureau’s appeals process, which began this month. So far, no Colorado cities have challenged their counts.
In 2008, Colorado Springs and Boulder successfully lobbied to have their population counts upped.
The Associated Press
