Saturday, Oct. 24, 2009

City managers meet about 2010 Census

Learn about new 10-question form and plans to count soldiers, prisoners and homeless at conference in Columbus

Managers from Georgia and Alabama cities wrapped up a three-day conference Friday in Columbus with a focus on the 2010 Census.

“Wherever they are April 1, 2010, that is where we need to count them,” said Gloria Strode, a U.S. Census Bureau coordinator for 55 Georgia counties which include Columbus, Macon and Albany.

The session was part of the fall conference sponsored by Columbus Consolidated Government and Phenix City-Russell County Alabama Governments with help from the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government. Managers learned how the census process has been simplified with a 10-question form and how officials plan to count soldiers, prison inmates and people who may be homeless.

Strode said about 50 people from business and community organizations are part of the Complete Count Committee in Muscogee County. In a city with a population of 186,984, Strode said it’s important for families to return the survey to get an accurate count. Ten years ago, 66 percent of Muscogee County residents responded to the survey but it was lower than the national average of 67 percent.

She has no idea how long the count will take but officials should know more about weak areas just weeks after the surveys are out.

“Two to three weeks after April 1 in real time, we will have an idea where our weak areas are,” Strode said. “That’s when we will have people out knocking on doors.”

At Fort Benning, all soldiers who are assigned to the post will be counted there and not where they may be deployed. “If you are with the 3rd Infantry Brigade, even though they may be in Iraq, they are counted where you are assigned,” she said.

An inmate who is in prison in Georgia but a resident of another state is counted where he or she is held. All are counted by the special operations staff of the U.S. Census.

To count the homeless, Strode said the bureau will send special groups to areas where the homeless gather to get them counted.

Yolanda Fears, an Opelika, Ala., coordinator of 22 counties in East Alabama, is concerned the economy will impact the census count.

“They are already unemployed and we are asking them to complete the form,” said Fears who worked on the 2000 Census. “They don’t see the connection to them. Just the government asking them to fill out another form.”

To highlight the census, Strode said Carmike Cinemas has agreed to show a message on movie screens nationwide.

Required by law, the first U.S. Census was conducted in 1790 when 3.9 million were counted. The population is now 301.6 million.

Population is used to help determine election districts and how more than $300 billion in federal funds are distributed to states, local and tribal governments each year.