As it continues to grow, Oswego has authorized an agreement with the U.S. Census Bureau to conduct a special census to reflect the village’s current population.
Since the village’s last regular census in 2020, Oswego has had “significant development,” Oswego Finance Director Andrea Lamberg said in a report to the Oswego Village Board.
In the 2020 census, Oswego’s population was listed at 34,585, she said.
“The village’s population has increased by an estimated 5,553″ since then, Lamberg said.
Population numbers are important because the amount of shared state tax revenue that towns such as Oswego get from Springfield is based on how many people live there.
“The estimated increase in annual revenue is $1.5 million, which is $4.5 million over the three years that will transpire until the next regular census,” Lamberg said.
The village’s staff recommends picking up from what was started several years ago.
“Due to federal government shutdowns, the census office was unable to staff special census positions which delayed the process. The village received word that the Census Bureau is now able to hire special census staff,” she said.
The earliest a special census could be conducted for Oswego is in the spring of 2027, officials said.
The village is required to make a payment of $997,448 to the Census Bureau prior to any work beginning on the special census. The advance payment will be adjusted to actual costs and additional billings or refunds based on the work done, Lamberg said.
Oswego isn’t the only town in the area that will be having a special census coming up. Aurora’s special census, which was originally planned for early 2025 but faced delays, is set to start next month.
The effort, requested by Aurora after officials felt the city was undercounted in the 2020 decennial census, will be focused only around certain areas that have been recently developed. Starting in late July, residents in those areas should begin to receive letters in the mail directing them to respond to the census online, city officials have said.
Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.