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Cities say low Census sums could cost thousands Rogue River vows to challenge the figures; Gold Hill worries, too By BUFFY POLLOCK City officials at Gold Hill and Rogue River are worried that inadequate 2000 Census counts may count them out on a lot more when it comes time to receive government revenues. Gold Hill City Recorder Tony Paxton said he believes Census takers missed about 200 of the city's 1,260 residents, which could deprive the city of more than $8,000 for streets "just from the highway gas tax." Rogue River City Administrator Mark Reagles said the city plans to challenge the count as soon as the Census Bureau begins accepting challenges on June 30. Reagles estimated the Census count for Rogue River was short by about 150 people. "We're waiting for some housing counts to see just how far off the Census count was," he said. One hundred and fifty people "doesn't sound like a lot if you live in Medford, but it is if you live in Rogue River and consider that a good chunk of our revenue is derived on a per capita basis. It adds up." Census figures are used to determine each city's share of federal and state funds. State and local governments also use the information as a guide for planning and building roads, schools and other services. The first wave of data from the 2000 Census was released in March. The next wave, which will be far more detailed, is expected in June. Reagles said the Census count listed Rogue River's population at 1,847, but city officials previously had calculated at least 2,000 residents. If a correction is not made, Reagles said the city could lose about $8,300 from four different revenues: the highway tax, liquor tax, cigarette tax and 911 tax. "It isn't a huge percentage of our revenue, but it would be sorely missed," he said. "To us, that's pretty significant." Paxton said Census takers counted Gold Hill at 1,075, a figure that "just didn't jibe" with the number of city water service or Pacific Power accounts. Public works director Royal Gasso expressed his support of challenging the Census at a recent council meeting. "We have very little for streets anyway. We don't need even less," he said. Gold Hill and Rogue River join Eagle Point and Shady Cove as rural Jackson County communities that have expressed frustration with Census counts. Challenges to Census counts will be accepted between June 30, 2001, and Sept. 30, 2003. More information on challenging a Census count or Census boundaries is available online at www.census.gov . Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.