2020 U.S. Census kicks off

The 2020 U.S. Census is getting started, so be on the lookout for a mailer that was sent out on Monday to your mailbox.

This initial invitation will give you the information needed in order to respond to the Census by email, phone or mail. The final questionnaire will be in your mailbox around March 11.

If you respond by any of the three options, no Census taker will come to your home.

Census counters will begin canvassing the area on March 16, going home to home.

All Census takers will have identification with them and people are encouraged to ask to see that identification.

No personal information will be asked for the Census, nor will any financial information be required. Just six subjects are included in the questionnaire – sex, age, relationship, Hispanic origin, race and housing tenure.

If you have any problems filling out the form yourself, you can get help at the senior center, the library and the Help Center.

The Census is critical in ensuring our community and our county receives a fair portion of annual federal funding including Medicaid, SNAP, highway construction, education, housing, community development, job training and more.

It also allows for allocation of funds for school construction, libraries, highway safety, new roads and bridges and other projects.

The most important thing to know is that our town and county could lose hundreds of dollars per year in state shared revenues for every person not counted in the Census.

For instance, we receive $520 per person in sales and use taxes for both the town and the county, monies that could disappear if everyone is not counted.

And its not just money we could potentially lose, either.

Many businesses make their decisions on where to build their companies based on Census numbers. Not only do they decide where to build, but the Census gives them an idea of what kind of labor pool an area has, the age of the residents in the area and even what kind of experience that labor pool may have.