Population increases in Fenton Area

Fenton City Manager Lynn Markland sees a lot of positive things happening in the city of Fenton.

You can add the recently released census numbers to that list.

According to the 2010 Census data, the saw an 11 percent population increase from 2000 to 2010.  The census showed a population of 10,582 in the city in 2000 increased to 11,756 in 2010.

“We have some positive things going on. We have more businesses in the community. We are starting to get busier with private sector projects. This census data adds some positive news for our community,” Markland said.

He said by no means do the numbers solve the city's budget issues, but said it should make a difference in revenue sharing.

“It won’t be a large amount, but there should be an increase,” Markland said.

officials are also anticipating a budget boost.

The municipality’s population increased 19.9 percent, from 12,968 people in 2000 to 15,552 in 2010.

“We expected a sizeable increase, but it’s even more than we thought,” said Fenton Township operations manager Thomas Broecker. “It’s a positive thing. It should give us a sizable bump in revenue sharing. It’s not a huge surprise, but we are happy the numbers will help out our budget.”

Broecker said the area had a lot of growth and housing development from 2000 to 2005 and officials weren’t quite sure what affect the real estate crisis would have on the numbers.

“I would hesitate to say it’s a sign things are moving in the right direction,” Broecker said. “But with the growth we’ve had it will be a nice increase to help us cover the cost of services.”

Both Markland and Broecker said the numbers mean that people believe the Fenton area is a good place to live.

“We are conveniently located to major work centers and people tend to gravitate here,” Broecker said.

The census showed the total population of Michigan dropped 0.5 percent to 9,883, 640. Genesee County saw a dip of 2.4 percent, from 436,141 to 425,790. Livingston County's population increased by 15 percent, from 157,000 in 2000 to almost 181,000 in 2010. Tyrone Township's numbers went up 18.5%, from 8,459 in 2000 to 10,020 in 2010. Oakland County saw a slight increase of .7 percent.