The LIPA said Nassau County's population went down by 28,011, while the U.S. Census Bureau estimated it went up by 20,758. For Suffolk, both agencies at least agreed there was growth, although the Census placed it at a lower 33,860 additional residents, while LIPA reckoned it was 85,578 more.
The Census Bureau conducts its population count every 10 years and normally only 10 percent of 3,100 counties covered by the Bureau question their numbers, which serves as a basis for federal funding of local programs, including health programs such as AIDS and health-clinic treatments.
The lost funding is the principal reason why Suffolk and Nassau officials are disputing the Bureau's data. Steve Levy, executive of Suffolk County, explained to Newsday, "This has major consequences," since lesser figures would translate to a reduction of "any type of proportionally based revenue given to the region."
Thomas Suozzi, executive of Nassau County, seconded. "Long Islanders currently send billions more to Albany and Washington in taxes than we currently get back in aid... We cannot sit back and be robbed of assistance that is vital to the sustainability of Long Island's suburbs," Suozzi said, quoted by Newsday.
The disparity in numbers used by the two agencies is explained by their methods used. LIPA bases it figures on all active residential electric meters and from there uses Census data to estimate the number of residents per household with an electric meter.
The Census uses births, deaths, net migration figures, Internal Revenue Service tax returns and Medicaid enrollment.
But it's not just headcount that's being disputed in the Big Apple. The declining number of police officers pounding the beat has alarmed Staten Island residents. According to the Staten Island Advance, as of April 30, there were only 1,188 cops on the Island versus 1,407 police officers 10 years ago. What worsens the drop is the rise by 70,000 of new residents, which boost's the Island's headcount to almost 500,000.
As a consequence of the police understaffing, crime rate in Staten Island had gone up by 15.5 percent compared to last year. Murders and rapes have increased by 50 percent, while robberies, burglaries and shootings jumped by 20 percent.
