How did the 2000 census affect Cantons revenue sharing?
Canton and its residents have bourn a disproportionate share of the Revenue Sharing reductions. Canton residents have arguably been hit harder than any other community by Revenue Sharing decisions made by the Governor and the Legislature. Each decade the census is utilized by the Governor and Legislature to establish local revenue sharing for the next decade. So, in 2000 Canton’s census showed dramatic growth. Unfortunately before the community could receive any benefit the State changed how revenue sharing was distributed. This change cost Canton millions of dollars. This in spite of the fact that Canton added over 17,000 new residents from 1990 to 2000 resulted in the loss of over $20,000,000 of revenue sharing funds (spread over 10 years). In addition, Canton like all other communities has seen a reduction in actual dollars or no increase in revenue sharing for the past five years.
