The City of Spring Hill, one of the fastest growing municipalities in the state, is again conducting a special census to certify the growth in population our city has added in recent years. And this time the census survey is even easier to submit as it’s available online.
The population of Spring Hill, last certified at 32,053 after the last special census in 2013, is now estimated at near 35,000, based on housing permits and utility hookups in recent years. The City issued 587 new residential building permits in 2014, and is currently on track to equal or exceed that amount in 2015.
It’s important to verify the latest population, and imperative that all residents respond, because of the State-shared tax revenues our city receives for each certified resident. For fiscal year 2015-16, the state is paying cities $115.75 per resident in State-shared revenues, which amounts to about $2.4 million annually.
The additional revenues received for added population will allow the City to provide much needed services, such as police, fire protection, library services, and expansion of our roads and parks.
“If one assumes that each new household averages 2.5 people, we could conclude that we will have added almost 3,000 new residents since the last census,” said Finance Director Jim Smith. “Not knowing exactly what that number will be, let’s say the grand total is roughly 35,000 people living here. At $115.75 per person, that amounts to an additional $341,115 per year. If the census costs $110,000 – that’s the amount we have budgeted – we would still be ahead in the following fiscal year by $231,115, and we would collect the full additional $341,115 every year after that.”
In order to verify the accuracy of the census, the City is required to either receive a census survey response from each resident or to personally visit the residents who do not respond. The survey simply requests respondents’ address, and the names of everyone living at that address.
Special Census only takes a few minutes
After the special census results are tabulated this winter, they will be verified by a state recognized agency, and then submitted to the state legislature for ratification in March during the 2016 spring session. The first water bill insert including the census went out this month, and there will be other outgoing mailings to follow. Once a household has completed the census, there is no additional requirement.
Hard copy census forms are available at City Hall. This year’s special census also offers an even simpler way to complete it online through SurveyMonkey. The link to the survey is available at the Census Alert link at the top of our website, springhilltn.org, or directly at www.surveymonkey.com/r/SpringHillCensus.
For questions about the Spring Hill Special Census, please email to [email protected].
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