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City seeks ideas to promote census
By By Alica P. Thiele
Challenger reporter
Challenger reporter
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EmailNovember 06. 2009 6:00AM
“We can’t move forward until you send it back” is a slogan for the United States Census 2010, and “It’s in our hands,” is another.
In 2010, the federal government will attempt to count every man, woman and child who is living in the country. And the government is asking individual communities to help with the cause.
“We were thinking of putting it on the local channel 18,” said Bonnie Nelson, who is heading up the cause for the city of Brandon. The city also might put notices in people’s water bills.
But Nelson and her counterparts in Valley Springs and Garretson are looking for more ideas of how to get people to fill out their census forms and return them to the federal government next spring.
In July, census workers verified addresses all around the country.
“They stopped at my house and asked if the address they had registered for that property was correct,” said Nelson, who lives on East Redwood Boulevard.
In August, the government sent Census in Schools materials to schools throughout the country to educate children on the importance of the census.
Every year, the federal government allocates more than $400 billion to states and communities based, in part, on census data, according to www.2010census.gov. Money goes to such things as school lunch programs and senior citizen centers, new construction, highways and hospitals.
From now through April, census workers are being hired. They will follow up with households that do not return questionnaires by the April 1 deadline. But if folks pay heed to the census slogans, these workers will have little to do, Nelson said.
Workers already have been hired in Brandon. “They had interviews in the city council chambers,” Nelson said. Workers haven’t been hired yet in Garretson, said finance officer Anna Uhl.
She said she has asked the Garretson Commercial Club to brainstorm ways to promote the census in Garretson. Mary Ann Carlson, a Commercial Club member, said the club will discuss the census at future meetings.
There still is time to plan promotion, as the census questionnaires do not come out until March. They will arrive in the U.S. Mail or by hand. Assistance Centers and Be Counted sites will be open to answer questions, but the questionnaire shouldn’t be difficult to fill out, the government promises.
“10 questions, 10 minutes,” the United States Census 2010 Web site declares. “Households are asked to provide key demographic information, including: whether a housing unit is rented or owned; the address of the residence; and the names, genders, ages and races of others living in the household,” says the site, which includes a sample questionnaire.
To help cities promote the April 1 deadline, the federal government will give each city up to $2,999 for promotion.
City Administrator Dennis Olson said Brandon hasn’t applied for any money yet, but Nelson said the city probably will.
In the meantime, she continues to seek ways to encourage people to fill in their questionnaires and return them.
Results will be compiled next summer and fall. By law, the Census Bureau will deliver population counts to the president by Dec. 31, 2010.
The results will be available to the public in March 2011.
The first census took place in 1790 to determine how many seats each state would have in the U.S. House of Representatives. The census is taken every 10 years.
Local population figures
Brandon
1990: 3,543
2000: 5,693 (60.7 percent increase)
Current estimate: 8,203
Valley Springs
1990: 739
2000: 792 (7.2 percent increase)
Garretson
1990: 924
2000: 1,165 (26.1 percent increase)
In 2010, the federal government will attempt to count every man, woman and child who is living in the country. And the government is asking individual communities to help with the cause.
“We were thinking of putting it on the local channel 18,” said Bonnie Nelson, who is heading up the cause for the city of Brandon. The city also might put notices in people’s water bills.
But Nelson and her counterparts in Valley Springs and Garretson are looking for more ideas of how to get people to fill out their census forms and return them to the federal government next spring.
In July, census workers verified addresses all around the country.
“They stopped at my house and asked if the address they had registered for that property was correct,” said Nelson, who lives on East Redwood Boulevard.
In August, the government sent Census in Schools materials to schools throughout the country to educate children on the importance of the census.
Every year, the federal government allocates more than $400 billion to states and communities based, in part, on census data, according to www.2010census.gov. Money goes to such things as school lunch programs and senior citizen centers, new construction, highways and hospitals.
From now through April, census workers are being hired. They will follow up with households that do not return questionnaires by the April 1 deadline. But if folks pay heed to the census slogans, these workers will have little to do, Nelson said.
Workers already have been hired in Brandon. “They had interviews in the city council chambers,” Nelson said. Workers haven’t been hired yet in Garretson, said finance officer Anna Uhl.
She said she has asked the Garretson Commercial Club to brainstorm ways to promote the census in Garretson. Mary Ann Carlson, a Commercial Club member, said the club will discuss the census at future meetings.
There still is time to plan promotion, as the census questionnaires do not come out until March. They will arrive in the U.S. Mail or by hand. Assistance Centers and Be Counted sites will be open to answer questions, but the questionnaire shouldn’t be difficult to fill out, the government promises.
“10 questions, 10 minutes,” the United States Census 2010 Web site declares. “Households are asked to provide key demographic information, including: whether a housing unit is rented or owned; the address of the residence; and the names, genders, ages and races of others living in the household,” says the site, which includes a sample questionnaire.
To help cities promote the April 1 deadline, the federal government will give each city up to $2,999 for promotion.
City Administrator Dennis Olson said Brandon hasn’t applied for any money yet, but Nelson said the city probably will.
In the meantime, she continues to seek ways to encourage people to fill in their questionnaires and return them.
Results will be compiled next summer and fall. By law, the Census Bureau will deliver population counts to the president by Dec. 31, 2010.
The results will be available to the public in March 2011.
The first census took place in 1790 to determine how many seats each state would have in the U.S. House of Representatives. The census is taken every 10 years.
Local population figures
Brandon
1990: 3,543
2000: 5,693 (60.7 percent increase)
Current estimate: 8,203
Valley Springs
1990: 739
2000: 792 (7.2 percent increase)
Garretson
1990: 924
2000: 1,165 (26.1 percent increase)
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Next year, the federal government will attempt to count every man, woman and child who is living in the country. The government is asking individual communities to help with the count. Challenger file photo |  |
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