Cedar Park census challenge

The Cenus Bureau lists Cedar Park as one of 108 municipalities challenging the official 2010 population count for their jurisdictions. Of those, 94 are still pending, according to the Census Bureau.

Howard said he believes Cedar Park's early submission puts the challenge request toward the top of the list.

"They were listing out who submitted and so forth, and we were easily in the first bunch of handfuls that were listed," he said. "Our understanding of working with the Census [Bureau] is they put you in a queue, and they queue you up, and it's sort of like a first-come, first-serve basis."

There is no timeline on a response from the Census Bureau, which will review the maps, aerial photos and other documentation sent by the city before making a decision. A population greater than 50,000 is a benchmark for a city, said Phil Brewer, Cedar Park economic development director.

"There are a lot of retail businesses and restuarants that typically base their locations on population, per-capita income and disposable incomes," Brewer said. "So for a long time, that 50,000 has been the jumping off point for some restaurants."