City Council launches taskforce for early Census planning

What happened

New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin announced the creation of a Council-led Census Taskforce, which has already held its inaugural meeting. The group is being assembled as an early planning effort for the next federal Census and is intended to inform the work of the city’s newly established Office of the Census.

According to the Council, the taskforce brings together community leaders, Census specialists, advocates, researchers, faith leaders, labor representatives and civic institutions. Its stated aim is to help New York City pursue a complete, accurate and inclusive count while establishing infrastructure for the coming Census.

The Council described the initiative as part of its broader push for earlier planning and investment before the next count. Menin said that Census preparation requires sustained planning and deep community partnerships rather than a last-minute effort.

The key details

Menin is a taskforce co-chair alongside L. Joy Williams, president of the NAACP New York State Conference; Emely Paez, associate vice president of policy and advocacy at United Way of New York City; and Jeffrey M. Wice, director of New York Law School’s New York Elections, Census, and Redistricting Institute and a distinguished adjunct professor and senior fellow.

The Council said the group will meet, conduct research and community outreach, and hear feedback before producing a report of best practices and recommendations. That report is intended to assist the Office of the Census and guide preparations for a successful citywide count.

The Office of the Census was spearheaded by Menin and signed into law last November, the Council said. Its stated purpose is to maximize local participation in the federal Census. The Council said it is beginning work early in order to reach communities across the city, explain the importance of participation and engage groups that have historically been undercounted.

Represented organizations include Medgar Evers College’s DuBois Bunche Center, the CUNY Graduate Center for Urban Research, UJA Federation of New York, the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies, the Yemeni American Merchants Association, the New York Immigration Coalition, the NYC Central Labor Council, the United Federation of Teachers, United Neighborhood Houses, Disabled in Action of Metropolitan New York, and library systems serving Brooklyn, New York and Queens. The Council also listed additional community and civic leaders.

Why it matters

The Council said Census results affect the federal funding New York receives and its representation in Congress. Menin framed the taskforce as a way to prepare early enough to support participation across the city through trusted community relationships.

The announcement also addresses a proposed citizenship question in testing for the coming Census. The Council said Menin and New York Attorney General Letitia James sent a joint letter to U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in April opposing the question’s inclusion in field tests. The Council characterized those tests as a possible step toward including such a question in the Census and said it could discourage participation in New York City’s diverse communities.

The release also cited Menin’s previous role directing the city’s Census effort. The Council said New York City had the highest self-response rate among major cities and attributed a majority of the state’s population growth since the prior Census to the city.

What to watch

The next visible steps are the taskforce’s meetings, research, outreach and feedback process, followed by its recommendations report. That work may show how the Office of the Census and participating institutions plan to organize outreach before the next count.

Developments in federal Census testing, including the citizenship-question proposal opposed by City Council leadership and the state attorney general, will also remain relevant to the taskforce’s work.