As I wrote on August 3rd, the City of Fishers is looking into a special census that could net money for local government.  The estimates from the city controller’s office show a very big gain for Fishers.

The cost estimate for a special census is $373,500, far below initial expectations.  The projected additional revenue from a special census is $1,829,300.  Doing the math, that means Fishers would gain $1,455,800 over a 4-year period, beginning in July of 2017.

The regular census occurs every ten years, with the last one taken in 2010.  With the population growth Fishers has experienced since the last census, the city has been running numbers to determine whether a special census would provide a financial gain.

One component of the plan that lowered the cost is limiting the special census only to growing parts of the city, particularly on the east end of Fishers.

Lindsey Erdody of the Indianapolis Business Journal wrote a story in early June about Fishers and other suburban areas of Indy looking into the special census option.

The Fishers City Council will make the final decision on any new census.  It is expected to be on the council’s agenda for the August 17th meeting.