KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — The Kalamazoo/Battle Creek area could lose tens of millions of dollars in federal funding over the next decade because of a Census under-count.
CNN is reporting that Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross plans to cut off the count on October 5th, in defiance of a federal court order that the door to door headcount should continue until October 31st.
Local Census numbers show that over 2,800 homes and apartments remain uncounted.
Kalamazoo was already facing a large under-count because the coronavirus pandemic closed down colleges back in March, just weeks before Census Day on April 1st. This sent thousands of students living off campus back to their hometowns.
COVID-19 has also hampered the Census operation, delaying the process for months and forcing the Census Bureau to rewrite their plans to hire, train, and deploy temporary workers.
The federal government distributes trillions of dollars, and by Constitutional mandate, draws legislative boundaries based on the national head-count, which is done every ten years.
We’ve reached out to local Kalamazoo officials for a comment and will update the story with their reactions on this new Census deadline.
Those who still have not taken the Census can do so at michigan.gov/census2020.
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