Fishers hiring staffing agency to help with U.S. Census count

An Oklahoma City-based recruiting company is benefiting from special U.S. Census counts in the northern suburbs.

Several fast-growing communities in Hamilton County are pursuing certified special counts this year as a way to secure more state funding. Many tax distributions, including those from the motor vehicle highway fund, tobacco products, alcoholic beverages and riverboat wagering, are based on population numbers the U.S. Census Bureau collect only once a decade. Cities experiencing explosive growth often find it financially worthwhile to do special population counts instead of waiting for another decade to pass.

The Fishers City Council approved conducting a partial special census in August with a budget not to exceed $450,000, and Westfield City Council approved spending $625,000 on a special census in June.

The Fishers Board of Public Works and Safety is now considering a contract with Express Employment Professionals to recruit census workers for the count and to streamline the payroll process. The contract could cost up to $300,858 for the staffing agency services and payroll for the workers.

According to city documents, the recruiting agency could quickly fill the positions and prevent the city’s payroll division from having to add 75 individuals for a temporary time period.

The city sent a request for proposals to eight staffing agencies, and the lowest bid came from Express Employment Professionals. If the contract is approved, hiring is expected to start in April and be complete within 60 days. The entire special census is expected to be done in September.

Fishers estimates it will receive an additional $1.8 million in state revenue through 2021 after the census is complete.

Express Employment Professionals has an office in Fishers and three others in the Indianapolis area.

According to its bid proposal for Fishers, the company is also working with the city of Westfield on a special census that required about 50 individuals.

The Westfield census is expected to increase the city’s annual revenue by $330,000 every year. The count is expected to be complete by the end of this month.

The Fishers Board of Public Works and Safety could approve the contract when it meets at 4 p.m. Monday.