The Puerto Rico Mayors Association rejected changes the U.S. Census Bureau proposed for the 2030 Census, warning they could cause errors in counting island residents and reduce the federal funds Puerto Rico’s towns receive. The organization filed a communication on November 2 arguing that the changes do not account for Puerto Rico’s particularities, including its tax system, residential addresses in rural communities and the movement of citizens between the island and the states.
Association president Jorge L. González Otero said an incorrect count could reduce the resources available to towns to serve residents. "A citizen who is not counted correctly still needs services, but their municipality could receive fewer resources to serve them. We cannot allow a federal decision, made without considering our reality, to end up harming our communities for the next ten years," he said.
Services that could be affected include housing programs, assistance for older adults, child care, community development and transportation. Consequences could also reach the distribution of funds by the Municipal Revenue Collection Center (CRIM) and other aspects of municipal administration set by law. The Association noted that the Census Bureau itself estimated about 217,000 Puerto Rico residents were missed in the 2020 Census.
It requested public hearings in Puerto Rico, impact studies and consultations with municipal governments before the new rules are adopted. It also backed Resident Commissioner Pablo José Hernández Rivera’s calls to guarantee participation by the Statistics Institute and the Planning Board in the process.