Douglas County is still growing, but only because people are still being born here.

During the first half of the decade, the U.S. Census Bureau reports today, more people moved away from the county than moved in. The nearly 3,000-person growth in population, the bureau said, was entirely due to births outpacing deaths.

“I think this is a wake-up call,” said Douglas County Commissioner Bob Johnson.

The news comes as Lawrence City Hall is in an upheaval over failures to plan for the city’s growth – with Planning Director Linda Finger and City Manager Mike Wildgen both resigning their jobs over the issue in recent months. On Wednesday, some city officials disputed the census numbers.

David Guntert, in the Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Department, said housing construction figures indicate that Lawrence has grown by roughly 9,000 people since 2000 – and that doesn’t count growth in Eudora and Baldwin.

It’s unlikely, he said, all those houses are being built to sit empty.

“I don’t think the builders could afford to do that,” Guntert said.

According to the census:

Jeremy and Marci Skinner, Lecompton, spend time with their new baby, Madysin, born early Wednesday at Lawrence Memorial Hospital. During the first half of the decade, the Census Bureau reports, more people moved out of county than moved in. What growth occurred here, the bureau said, was entirely due to births outpacing deaths.

¢ Douglas County grew from 99,965 residents in 2000 to 102,914 in 2005, a 3 percent increase for the five-year period. That’s slower than the 2 percent annual growth rate the community enjoyed in previous decades, but still ahead of the 2.1 percent population rise experienced by the state during the same period.

¢ That growth was the fourth-highest number among Kansas counties – but only the 13th-fastest growth rate. Douglas County retains its position as the fifth-most-populous county in the state.

¢ There were 6,271 births in the county during the period, far outpacing the 2,830 deaths.

¢ But 353 more people left Douglas County than moved here. The “migration” numbers, a census official said, were calculated using income-tax forms and other government applications.

¢ The “sub-suburban” counties around Lawrence, however, fared well – Franklin, Jefferson and Leavenworth counties all grew at a faster clip than Douglas. And Johnson County continued its explosive growth, adding 55,000 new residents. Wyandotte County, however, lost more than 2,100 residents.

Lawrence officials said the census numbers didn’t match their impressions of community growth.

“I still see the same number of people interested in living here and commuting to Topeka and Kansas City,” said Mark Buhler, an executive with Stephens Real Estate. “I see retired people coming back to live near kids. So I guess I’m puzzled or surprised at the data.”

Vice Mayor Mike Amyx agreed.

“It just appears to me we’ve gotten bigger than that,” he said. “There’s more traffic, all the indicators that tell you there’s more people.”