After winning a challenge of the estimated 2006 Census for the city, Eagle Mountain will get some extra dough.

City officials called their successful challenge of the census good news for residents because it means the city's share of sales tax from the state will increase more than 30 percent.

The census estimated Eagle Mountain's population for 2006 to be 12,232 people, far less than the city's estimate. A challenge was issued in July and the census has now adjusted the population estimate to be 17,391.

The city believes the actual population to be 23,000 but cannot use that number because of complex state accounting laws.

While half of state sales tax revenues are earmarked to return to the cities where the money was spent, the other half is divided according to population among all municipalities in the state, said John Hendrickson, city administrator. Last year Eagle Mountain got $900,000, and could now get another $500,000 or so because of the successful challenge.

"This successful census challenge will provide much needed funds for our rapidly growing city and will also open doors for grants, transportation and other funding opportunities," said Eagle Mountain Mayor Don D. Richardson in a statement.

"I'm sure we'll have a use for the money," Hendrickson said, noting the funds could go toward "police, fire, parks, buildings or improving service levels." Council members will debate exactly how and where to use the money in upcoming months. The state makes monthly sales tax payments to cities.

To prove the state had underestimated the city's growth, the city submitted building permits and utility bills, he said. The revised population figures are expected to take effect next month.

Eagle Mountain had announced its intentions to challenge the census in March. Eagle Mountain had tried to challenge the census in the past, only to discover it would gain little from the effort, Shawn Eliot said at that time. Eliot is a transportation planner with Mountainland Association of Governments, the regional planning authority that must prepare Eagle Mountain's challenge.

Almost every city in Utah County has challenged the census in the past three years, and almost all challenges are successful, according to Eliot.

Caleb Warnock can be reached at 443-3263 or cwarnock@heraldextra.com.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page B1.