Monday, February 21, 2000
Census stresses effect of count on area's coffers
BY TANYA ALBERT
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Greater Cincinnati did a good job last time, but some of us can do better.
That's the message the U.S. Census Bureau is bringing to Greater Cincinnati about the Census 2000 forms people will find in their mailboxes next month.
Roughly 75 percent of Greater Cincinnati's households returned the 1990 forms they received in the mail, besting the national rate of 65 percent.
But people in the city of Cincinnati and rural areas weren't as diligent. For example, only 58 percent of the people responded in Grant County. In the city of Cincinnati, the response rate was 67 percent.
The survey that takes 10 minutes to fill out will affect Greater Cincinnati for the next 10 years.
“The city of Cincinnati lost over $40 million because of undercounts,” said Cynthia King, a Cincinnati-based Ohio Team Leader for the U.S. Census Bureau. “That meant less fire equipment, less police officers, less money for road repairs, for parks, for nursing homes.”
With similar low figures seen in cities around the nation 10 years ago, the Census Bureau this time around is hoping a first-time ever $167 million advertising campaign that includes television, radio and print ads will get the message out. And they're using grass-root efforts, too.
Greater Cincinnati was one of 12 communities where Census Bureau employees kicked off a national campaign last week on the importance of filling out the forms. They will start arriving in mailboxes on March 6.
They must be returned by April 1.
Lincoln Heights' elected officials know first-hand the difference that getting an accurate count can make. With a 64 percent mail response rate to the 1990 census, Lincoln Heights lost its city status and became a village.
“There's funds obviously that are not available,” said Mayor Shirley Salter. “It affects the school system. ... our street maintenance, our service, our recreation.”
Communities still need levies to help pay for schools, recreation and other activities. But higher census counts can help leverage more state or federal dollars.
The Ohio Department of Development estimates that communities lose $450 for every household that goes uncounted.
“The problem is, that multiplies,” said Steve Sievers, a planner with the Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission and a member of Hamilton County's Complete Count Committee.
If just 10 households are missing, the community can lose $4,500 annually. Census data is used for 10 years, so that amounts to $45,000 over the decade.
“And that's just 10 households,” he says.
Here are some basics about the census:
• Census forms should arrive in the mail mid-March.
• Everyone will receive a short form that should take about 10 minutes to fill out. One in six households will get the long form that should take about 38 minutes to complete.
• They need to be mailed back by April 1.
• People who don't return forms will get a reminder in the mail. After that, counters will visit individual households.
• Questionnaire Assistance Centers will open in communities to help people fill out their forms.
• The form has a toll-free number for people with questions.
• By law, the Census Bureau cannot share answers with others, including other government agencies. Anyone who does can receive up to five years in prison and $5,000 in fines.
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