A representative of the U.S. Census Bureau gave a presentation to city commissioners Wednesday to enlist their help in raising the public’s awareness of the upcoming 2010 census.
The new census will differ from the 2000 census in that it will contain only 10 questions, said partnership specialist Michael Aumack. The questionnaire will be mailed out in the middle of March to be returned as soon as possible, Aumack said. Households that do not respond will be sent a second questionnaire, and if that is not answered census workers will be dispatched to the home to conduct the short interview.
“Next to voting, the census is the most important thing a citizen can do for their community” Aumack said. “According to the state data center, for every person that’s not counted in the state of Kansas, it’s a loss of about $12,800 for the next ten year period.”
The approximately $400 billion in tax dollars distributed to the states every year by the federal government is determined by census numbers.
“Low response rates equal less tax money,” Aumack said. Lyon County’s response rate for the 2000 census was 73 percent, according to data from the census bureau.
Aumack was asking city leaders to help form partnerships, or perhaps a committee, to help get the word out starting before the end of this year. He emphasized that census data is protected by Title 13, a law that makes it illegal to share the data with any other agency.
“Under Title 13, census data is water-tight,” he said, adding that the data is kept sealed for 72 years. After that time, it is made public.
“My job is to raise awareness about the decennial census,” Aumack said. “... The best way to get the word out about the importance of the census is to have community leaders on board and to really have them tell their constituents and the people they serve really how important the census is to the community.”
In other business, commissioners reviewed city staff’s projections for the general fund and utility fund budgets over the next four years. Commissioners also reviewed a draft policy regarding the use of CATV Channel 18.