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HomeMy WebLinkAbout90-257 I I I RESOLUTION 90-257 RESOLUTION CONTESTING THE RESULTS OF CENSUS COUNT CONDUCTED IN MOHAVE COUNTY UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, BUREAU OF CENSUS WHICH TOOK PLACE ON OR ABOUT APRIL 1,1990. WHEREAS, the Mohave County Board of Supervisors received on August 24, 1990, from thE:! U. S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census J' a Postcensus J:"ocal RE:!view Listing and Preliminary Housing Unit and Group Quarters Population Counts indicating preliminary results from thH April 1, 1990 census conducted under the auspices of the afon~mentioned government agency. WHEREAS, Mohave County has beEm encouraged by the Bureau of the Census to participat:e in the 1990 Local Review Program and review housing unit counts completed by the Bureau for the Tracts and Blocks within the County, and WHEREAS, this revie!w must be conducted wi thin 15 days of receipt of the Postcensus report exclusive of Saturdays, Sundays and federal holidays, and WHEREAS, on Septemher 4, 1990, the Mohave County Board of Supervisors authorized the draftin.g of this Resolution and the initiation of a review of the Census counts and results, and I Resolution No. 90-257 Page 2 WHEREAS, the Mohavl::! County Planning and Zoning staff has been direct.ed to conduct an inquiry as to the validity of the housing unit counts using whatever means available to staff, and WHEREAS, the MohavE~ County Planning and Zoning staff has checked building permit,s, land use maps, examined aerial photos, and conducted field surveys utilizing department staff and local fire agencies, and WHEREAS, the Mohave County Planning and Zoning staff conducted recount checks in the following areas: walnut Creek Estates, Dolan Springs, Littlefield area, Golden Shores area, and II South Mohave Valley, and I WHEREAS, Mohave County staff did find numerous and extensive discrepancies in the counts conducted by the Census, and WHEREAS, the Bureau of Census has directed that only housing unit counts may be questioned and then only at the Census block level and this challenge must be presented on form D-74B Postcensus Local Review Form, and WHEREAS, the Mohave County Planning and Zoning staff has submitted in Exhibit A the above mEmtioned forms containing data gathered by staff indicating the numerous discrepancies discovered by staff in the housing unit counts submitted by the Bureau of Census, and I I I Resolution No. 90-257 Page 3 WHEREAS, contained on thest::l forms, are Census blocks reviewed by staff, indicat.ing some instances in which entire square mLle areas (sections) and subdivisions were omitted, and WHEREAS, the Mohave County Planning and Zoning staff, in conjunction with other County Departments, have received a large number of phone calls a,nd letters from citizens of the County indicating they were not counted by the Census Bureau and these notifications have been located in various portions of the County, and WHEREAS, Mohave County administrators and the Board of Supervisors are of the opinion that the counts and resulting derived population submitted by the Census Bureau are not indicative of the high growth occurring in the County, and WHEREAS, although the Census Bureau has directed that any challenge to the counts shall be done at the block level, there exist various indicators of growth in population and housing units, and WHEREAS, Mohave County has not been granted an extension of time from the 15 day reviE!w period by the Census Bureau which would allow time to break down this pertinent information to the block level, and I I Resolution No. 90-257 Page 4 WHEREAS, Mohave County is including this information attached to this resolution as Exhibit B to give added credence to the County assertion that the counts submitted are grossly in error as to the number and occupancy of housing units in the County, and WHEREAS, since Mohave County has an area of approximately 13,000 square miles and is the 5th largest county in the United States, and WHEREAS, Mohave County was not directly involved in the Precensus Review process, thus having no indication of the potential errors which havE~ permeelted into the above mentioned and documented discrepancies, and WHEREAS, the Board of Supervisors feels that the 15 day review time is not reasonable insofar as Mohave County was not included in the Precensus Review process which may have brought to light some of the errors that have arisen in the Postcensus Review, and WHEREAS, the Census Bureau should take into account submitt.ed with this resolution in the the growth indicators formulation of the decision to recanvass portions of Mohave I County, and Resolution No. 90-257 Page 5 I WHEREAS, despite the direction from the Census Bureau that the vacancy rate may not be contested, the Census Bureau has not submitted any information concerning the derivation of this vacancy rate, and WHEREAS, the population in Mohave County is mobile, i. e. living in Kingman, Bullhead City, Mohave valley, Golden Valley, etc. and working in :Laughl in, Nevada and in addition two wage earners per household is the norm, and WHEREAS, the senior citizen population of the County is also mobile and often takes extended trips to the surrounding II attractions, and WHEREAS, this leads to homes that are unattended but not vacant for most of the day, and WHEREAS, the Census Bureau has submitted a finding of a 29% vacancy rate, and WHEREAS, Mohave Coun1ty feels this finding should be reevaluated along with the housing unit count. I I I I Resolution No. 90-257 Page 6 NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED t:hat the Mohave County Board of Supervisors is of the opinion that if the errors indicated on the review forms are indicative of the efficiency and thoroughness wi th which the Census counts were conducted then Mohave County, Arizona has been severely misrepresented and undercounted, and NOW THEREFORE BE IT' FURTHER RESOLVED that the Mohave County Board of Supervisors request the Bureau of Census move expeditiously to recanvass the housing units within the blocks designated in the D-74B forms, up to 2% of the housing units reported within Mohave County, as specified in Chapter 8 of the 1990 Decennial Census Local Review Program Technical Guide, and NOW THEREFORE BE I'T }'URTHER RESOLVED as Mohave County is known as one of the fast:est growing counties in the United States, as reported by ABC's 20/20 program and other national news magazines, that the Mohave County Board of Supervisors requests the Bureau of Census to recanvass above and beyond the 2% limitation as outlin,ed in Chapter 8 of the 1990 Decennial Census Local Review Program Technical Guide, and NOW THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RfmOLVED that the Mohave County Board of Supervisors requests the Bureau of Census to reevaluate the computation of the vacancy rate reported for Mohave County, and I I I Resolution No. 90-257 Page 7 NOW THEREFORE BE 1'1' FURTHER RESOLVED that the Mohave County Board of Supervisors requests the Bureau of Census to consider an offer from the County of assistance in rectifying and further identi tyingr problem areas as it relates to a recanvass wi thin Mohave County. MOHAVE COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ::~~ ,,7 /k~ OL:L::~ I Lois J. Hub~rd, Chairman ~ " '1'1 " '"",.,..111'