Census: Complete count the goal

San Marcos — A 17-member committee is developing strategies and reaching out to assure that as many residents of San Marcos as possible will complete the simplified 2010  U. S. Census questionnaire that will hit mail boxes or be hand-delivered beginning in March.

The Complete Count Committee, appointed by the City Council in July, has met monthly at the San Marcos Activity Center to plan outreach to educate the community about the 2010 Census. 

A group of Community Partners is assisting in the process.

Their goal is to educate residents about the simplified Census survey – 10 questions, one of the shortest Census questionnaires ever – and about what the 2010 Census means to the city of San Marcos and its residents.

 “Our Complete Count Committee is part of a concerted effort to make sure that every person is counted in San Marcos,” Mayor Susan Narvaiz said. “The 2010 Census will have a great impact on our community for education, health care, appropriations, capital improvements, mass transit, our representation at the state and federal levels, and on many civic and social service organizations.”

The local committee’s mission is largely educational – to make every San Marcos resident aware of what the Census means to them.

Chaired by former City Councilman Daniel Guerrero, the committee is organized into subcommittees that are reaching out to local organizations and special interest groups in San Marcos.

As mandated by the U.S. Constitution, every person living in the United States must be counted – both citizens and non-citizens. 

The Census is taken every 10 years.  Data from this national count help determine key funding and government representation decisions.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the federal government distributes more than $400 billion to state, local and tribal governments each year, based on Census data.

This funding is used for new roads, schools, hospitals and to enhance important community programs. 

Community planners and governments rely on Census data to determine where there is a need for additional social services and funding. 

For nonprofits, Census data is valuable for writing grant proposals.  It can help communities estimate the number of potential volunteers available locally, as well as the number of residents who may need services.

The Census data is also used to give local citizens a voice in congress.  The data is used to determine the number of seats each state will have in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Serving on the San Marcos Complete Count Committee are Rev. Sam Acosta, Catherine Armstrong, June Barnett, Rose Brooks, Saul Gonzales, Daniel Guerrero, Jeanie Lewis, Harvey Miller, Earl Moseley, Gary Perdue, Ofelia Vasquez-Philo, Gloria Salazar, Daniel Scales, Ellie Stewart, Arthur Taylor and Tom Tvrdik. Community Partners include Mary Compton, Amy DuBose, Jerry Gracy, Elva Gonzales, Pastor Santiago Heredia, Pat Murdock, Carol Peters and Phyllis Snodgrass.

Momentum for Complete Count efforts locally comes in part from the city’s low participation rate in 2000. 

The national response rate in 2000 was 67 percent and in Texas, 64 percent.  Hays County’s rate was 62 percent. 

The response rate for the city of San Marcos was 59 percent, while other area cities were slightly higher: Kyle (60 percent), Dripping Springs (62 percent) and Buda (70 percent).            

Janis Hendrix, community initiatives administrator for the city, is the city’s staff liaison for the committee.  Partnership Specialist Sophia Azoubel and Partnership Assistant Ed Delgado of the U. S. Census Bureau’s Dallas office are the primary U.S. Census Bureau’s liaisons for San Marcos.

The San Marcos committee has had Complete Count banners made promoting the Census, staffed booths at Summerfest, the Veterans Day Parade and Sights and Sounds of Christmas. The group is contacting local organizations seeking opportunities to speak to their members about the Census and its importance.  

Informational literature is available in both English and Spanish.

For more information on the Complete Count efforts, call Hendrix at 393-8147 or Guerrero at 393-6930.