, Publisher
11-03-2009
In 2010, the federal government will conduct the required decennial census. While the government certainly attempts to find everyone, many are missed and the government loses nothing.
Small towns such as Dubach, however, can’t afford to be undercounted by even a few people. The census numbers are primarily used to appropriately seat Congress and to allocate federal funding. In the 2000 census, Dubach was undercounted, which made them a village instead of a town.
Luckily, Mayor Margaret Rogers and the town council were able to collaborate with Louisiana Tech and solve the issue with a state accepted recount.
However, Rogers said taking on the federal government is a much heartier task.
During the past nine years, Dubach has faced many funding issues because of this miscount.
But none, Rogers believes, was as major as the senior housing project that was rejected because of the initial inaccurate count still on federal records.
Dubach planned to build a place for seniors to live and feel safe. This was especially important because many family members would be unable to visit their senior relatives if they had to move to other areas to find suitable housing.
“We really needed that,” Rogers said. “In fact, we still do. I think it would be great if we could have it in the future.”
However, if the citizens of Dubach do not take special care to make sure they are counted, funding will continue to be a problem.
Rogers said many people don’t feel the government has any business knowing the information asked on the census forms.
The questions include name, age and sex of each person living in the home. In addition, phone numbers and the type of residence are collected. Many job applications and other forms require much more private information.
Citizens of towns such as Dubach, where even 20 people refusing to fill out the forms could result in lost funding, should make extra efforts to ensure they are counted. A few moments of inconvenience every 10 years could help your community obtain the funding it needs.
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