Suspecting that the village has grown by about 2,000 people, Homer Glen officials are seeking to have a special census done.
The village had 22,269 residents in 2000, according to U.S. census figures.
If the special census verifies that the population has grown, the village could receive about $200,000 more a year for the next six years in revenue from taxes.
“There are certain taxes that are shared on a population basis–the income, motor fuel and local-use taxes,” said Village Manager Glenn Spachman.
The census would count the entire community “because our growth has been so scattered,” he said.
If the village’s population has grown to 25,000 or more, the village could become a home-rule community, allowing it greater powers, such as enacting impact fees that would require developers to pay for maintaining and improving roads.
A special census would cost about $250,000, but Spachman said it would more than pay for itself in two years.
He said he expects to learn any day now if the village’s application for a special census is approved. If so, the counting would begin this summer.
