Marion looks to special census to take advantage of growth

MARION - City officials have decided Marion has grown fast enough to justify a special mid-decade census, a new count they believe will steer more population-based funds to the city's budget.

Amanda Kaufman, assistant to the Marion city manager, said this week that the city's plan is to pay the U.S. Census Bureau to conduct a partial special census, which is less expensive than a complete special census, because most of the city's growth since the 2010 census has come in specific, identifiable census blocks.

Those blocks include areas north of 29th Avenue, west of 31st Street and north of Highway 100 as well as a number of blocks scattered throughout the city where there has been housing development, she said.

The Marion City Council will take up the special census issue Nov. 20.

North Liberty's City Council already has approved a special census, as have councils in the Des Moines suburbs of West Des Moines, Ankeny and Waukee.

Kaufman said Marion estimates its cost of a partial special census at $150,000 to $160,000, and the city believes it can increase revenue after covering the census cost by about $650,000 through the rest of the decade.

The money Iowa cities receive from the road-use tax and local-option sales tax is based on population.

Kaufman said Marion gets about $90 per resident from the road-use tax and $140 per resident from the local-option sales tax.

The 2010 census put Marion's population at 34,768, and the city estimates it has added 1,800 people since then, she said.

She said the partial special census is expected to count about 900 of the 1,800 and add them to the city's official population figure.

Dale Hockett, Marion's assistant planning and development director, this week said Marion is growing because of its proximity to jobs, two quality school districts, family-friendly neighborhoods and diversity of housing types.

Hockett said some projections have Marion's population growing to 40,000 by 2020. Much of the city's growth has been on the north side, where growth will continue with the construction of Tower Terrace Road, which is planned to reach from Highway 13 to Interstate 380, he said.

Kaufman said the partial special census is expected to start in the spring and be complete by the end of next year.

In 1995, Marion invested successfully in a special census, which saw the city's population increase by 2,700 people to 23,105.

In Johnson County, Iowa City had discussed seeking a special census this year but decided not to do so, Geoff Fruin, Iowa City's assistant city manager, said this week.

North Liberty City Manager Ryan Heiar this week said the North Liberty City Council has approved a full special census, which should begin this year and be complete by spring.

Heiar said the city's cost for the census is $310,000, and the expectation is the city will bring in about $300,000 more a year from the road-use tax or $1.1 million in the decade beyond the cost of the census.

'Honestly, I think we'll be higher than that. But that's the number we're conservatively estimating,” he said.

The 2010 census put North Liberty's population at 13,374. The city now estimates that population is 16,500 or more, Heiar said.

'I think we have the fortune of being in a good location, right in the middle of Cedar Rapids and Iowa City,” he said. '… The access to North Liberty makes it pretty easy for young families who may have one spouse working north and the other south.

'But we also leverage our good fortune of location with quality-of-life amenities and things young families enjoy. We have two school districts in town, and both are very good districts. … So we just see a lot of people relocate here. And we continue to have pretty good availability with different types and price ranges of homes.”