By Parker Leavitt | The Republic | azcentral.com
Much more than civic bragging rights are at stake as several Arizona cities pursue a mid-decade census to update their population counts, a move they hope will snag a greater share of a state money pot worth more than $1 billion each year.
Arizona uses official population figures to determine how much each city receives in state-shared revenue from sources like income tax, sales tax and vehicle taxes and fees. Cities use the money to help pay for day-to-day operations.
The competitive nature of the system pits high-growth communities like Gilbert and Peoria against more-established cities like Phoenix and Mesa. Growing cities need more money to provide services to new residents, but corresponding revenue cuts for cities with flatter growth charts can be painful.
