Wasilla appeals population estimate

WASILLA — The city may be in for another population explosion if an appeal to the state is successful.

Wasilla City Council unanimously approved a resolution Thursday urging the state to amend the city’s estimated population. If successful, the appeal would increase the city’s population by about 9 percent from 8,064 to 8,800, according to Public Works Director Archie Giddings.

The adjustment is important to make sure Wasilla receives its fair share of state revenue sharing, he said.

“The most direct thing is the state does revenue sharing based on population,” Giddings said, adding the state offers two methods for municipalities to challenge its numbers.

One is to do an actual door-to-door count, the other is to use a housing unit formula that extrapolates the estimated population, which is what Wasilla did, he said. What the city learned is that the state based its estimation on 3,277 housing units shown in the 2010 U.S. Census. Mat-Su Borough assessments done in 2011, however, put those housing units at 3,578.

“That’s a pretty significant difference in people,” councilwoman Taffina Katkus said.

Her colleague on the council, Colleen Sullivan-Leonard, also questioned whether the 8,800 estimate is accurate.

“Was there thought of going door-to-door, too?” she asked, adding the city could also use the Permanent Fund Dividend method to be more accurate.

The PFD method isn’t one of the two accepted processes the state would consider, Giddings said. As for a door-to-door count, that may be the next alternative if the state rejects the city’s appeal.

“If we’re not successful with this, that’s what we’re suggesting we do, is to do some sampling to get a handle on those numbers, this summer possibly,” he said.

Sullivan-Leonard also wondered if the 8,800 estimate might also still be low. In general conversation, she hears the city’s population is anywhere from 9,000 to 10,000.

That’s a valid point, said Mayor Verne Rupright, who attended Thursday’s meeting via telephone from Juneau.

“The unofficial count by the feds in 2009 was over 10,000,” he said. “When this (state figure) came out, the first question was where did everybody go? If we have to go through the process of going door-to-door, we’ll go over that bridge when necessary. But, this is the method the state permits.”

The city can also consider doing its own actual count before the state’s next population estimates, Rupright said.

Contact reporter Greg Johnson at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.