A committee of experts tasked by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) with developing new standards for what defines a metropolitan center has recommended that dozens of cities be downgraded from metropolitan to “micropolitan” designations.

The Associated Press reported Saturday that 144 municipalities across the U.S. were recommended to be downgraded, including smaller cities such as Sheboygan, Wisc., as well as so-called college towns such as Charlottesville, Va., and Corvallis, Ore. Under the new designation, only cities with permanent populations of 100,000 or more would be considered metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs).

Other cities facing the downgrade include the capitals of New Mexico and North Dakota, Santa Fe and Bismarck, and cities that have seen population loss such as Cumberland, Md.

The news reportedly caught officials in some cities off guard. The director of communications for the city of Charlottesville questioned AP in a statement as to whether the ruling was a “mistake,” while others worried that the designation change could lead to significant federal funding changes to affected cities.

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