Politics & Government

Westwood May Appeal 2010 Census Data

A potential discrepancy between U.S. Census Bureau data and that of Westwood Town Hall may cause the town to challenge the recently-released numbers.

There may be an issue with the most recent 2010 population data released by the U.S. Census Bureau when compared to the numbers that have come in thus far at , according to local officials.

Based on the latest data released by the U.S. Census Bureau, Westwood's population rose from 14,117 in 2000 to 14,618 in 2010, an increase of about 3.55 percent.

But that number may not be entirely accurate, according to Westwood Town Clerk Dottie Powers, who said that, while numbers are still being crunched, the population, as the town counts it, is looking to come in at a larger rate.

"We got the Census figures, and from our own census that we do, my numbers are higher," said Westwood Town Clerk Dottie Powers. "I have spoken with the (U.S.) Census Bureau, and our records here are probably more precise, because they don't account for snowbirds and what not, so we're going to look into appealing it."

Powers wouldn't release an exact number based on Westwood's records for the , as calculations are still underway.

She did acknowledge, however, that there is a fair number of "snowbirds" in town, or residents who live in Westwood for part of the year, while residing the remaining portion, usually the winter months, in a warmer climate, such as Florida.

"We have a lot of people like that," Powers said. "In Fox Hill Village, we have many. Sometimes when people move, you don't get the info on where they've moved to."

If Westwood chooses to appeal, or "challenge" the Census count for 2010, the town would need to submit the request through a program known as The Count Question Resolution Program (CQR), which begins in June this year and ends June 2013.

As part of that process, the town could request corrections to boundaries, housing units, and group quarters facilities in town that are considered to be at the Census block level. If housing units and/or group quarters facilities are accepted, the U.S. Census Bureau would add to the population of that particular category.

While the base of the 2010 Census would be revised with the new population, it would not affect redistricting tallies or the 2010 Census data sheets that have already been released.

"It's a discrepancy (with the numbers), and we're starting to finish up with our annual census," Powers said.

The town is still waiting for a number of outstanding census forms to be submitted, Powers said, and it's likely that the population number will continue to rise.

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